A Woman Scorned
by Witchgar
Summary: Yumi and Arisu will do anything to get revenge on the two people who ruined their dreams.
1. Chapter 1

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 1

The brunette slid her legs off the bed, then looked over at the black-haired woman beside her with a sad smile. _'She looks so cute when she's sleeping,'_ the woman sitting off the edge of the bed mused._ 'Too bad this will be the last time I see you. If things had been different Ritsuko, we could have had a beautiful relationship together.' _

The woman sighed and stood up from the bed. She had no time for regrets. There was a job to do. The naked woman padded silently over to her clothes neatly laid out over a chair, and retrieved the items she'd need to complete her mission. She then went to the kitchen, where her lover had been working just hours before.

She inserted the thumb drive into the USB port on the laptop and started it booting to the specially designed operating system that would bypass the laptop's current OS and allow her to clone its drive to the solid state hard drive she was attaching. Once booted, the woman initiated the copy process then thought about the woman laying in the next room, and the previous month they spent together.

Kagami Ritsuko worked as an engineer for Nakamura Bio-Tech, a subsidiary of the Ogasawara Group. The company specialized in robotics, and was currently working on a neural interface that would allow a user easier access to their bionic prosthesis. Taken a little farther, the application of this 'neural net' could easily be modified for many other robotic uses, like having a drone that could be controlled by a users thoughts. Whoever brought this product to market would make a killing.

It had taken the brown haired woman less than a week to profile and make contact with her target. The two woman had 'accidentally' bumped into each other as Ritsuko was leaving the coffee shop near her lab.

**** FLASHBACK ****

"Ahh, I'm so sorry," the brunette said, as she fished out a handkerchief to wipe the spilled coffee off the black haired woman's silk shirt. "I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm sorry."

Ritsuko looked up, about ready to lay into the brunette for being so clumsy when she looked into the wide, earnest brown eyes that were close to tears. She melted and her heart went out to the poor girl, about five years her junior. "It's alright. No harm done."

"But your blouse is ruined," the brunette stated. "At least, let me make it up to you somehow. Take you out to dinner or something. I don't think I could bear it if I didn't take responsibility in some way."

Ritsuko looked at the pleading eyes and smiled fondly. "Okay dinner it is then. Chang's grill is just around the corner from here. Shall we meet up at about seven?" The brunette nodded and Ritsuko continued, "Give me you number in case I'm running late or have to reschedule." The two women exchanged cell numbers and separated.

**** END FLASHBACK ****

Dinner went well and the two women became inseparable, spending all their free time together. Soon they became lovers. Ritsuko was happy to find a partner that seemed genuinely interested in her work, although her partner sometimes went glassy eyed at the technical aspect. But she was patient and tried to explain things in such a way that the brunette understood. Her new lover was considerate, often bringing her tea without being asked, while she worked at home. The brown eyed girl often dragged her away from work for some much needed down time.

When the copy was complete, the brunette removed the solid state drive, and started the process that would wipe the data off the laptop and make it useless. Just as she removed the thumb drive from the computer, she heard a sleepy voice call out from the other room. "Ume-chan where are you?"

"In the kitchen," the naked woman called back, padding back into the bedroom, smiling. "I was just getting a glass of water. Someone seems to have sucked all the moisture out of my body." She seductively crawled back into bed next to her black haired lover.

Ritsuko giggled and looked into her lovers eyes. "I love you, Ume," she said endearingly. "Move in with me?"

It was hard for the brunette to hide the light stab of pain in her heart at her lover's plea. "It's much too late to be talking about such serious things," she said putting Ritsuko off. "I promise we'll talk about this tomorrow. Right now, it's time for payback." She leaned over and gave Ritsuko a heated passionate kiss, which left no doubt as to what her intentions were.

"Ume, you're insatiable," Ritsuko moaned as their lips parted and her partner had moved lower under the covers intent on other things.

Once Ritsuko was dead asleep after their second love making session that night, the brunette got out of bed and dressed herself. She collected her things from the kitchen table after making sure the laptop was properly wiped. She stood in the bedroom door, and looked with longing on the sleeping woman. "I'm sorry for making you a pawn in this Ritsuko. I could have truly loved you, if we met under different circumstances. Good bye." She slowly turned around and left Ritsuko's apartment.

XxX

Fukuzawa Yumi placed the solid state hard drive in front of her and pushed it across the table to her partner, a well dressed effeminate looking blonde. The man picked it up and placed it into his pocket. "You're certain they don't have a working prototype yet," he asked.

Yumi nodded. "Ritsuko said that they wanted to do some more computer simulations on it before taking the plunge. She was very confident that it would pass with flying colors. Did you take care of the data housed at the lab?"

"Yes," the young man said. "I triggered the worm right after you called me this morning. As of right now there isn't a byte of usable data, anywhere on their network." The blonde chuckled. "'Anonymous' is already taking credit for it. So they won't even think of looking at Kintarou Software as the source of the outbreak." Noticing the sad eyes of his companion, he went on. "Cheer up, Yumi-chan. This was a really big win for us. Not only did you destroy one of _that_ _woman's_ pet projects, but when we start producing and marketing these interfaces, our war chest will be full to overflowing."

"Are you sure this is what you want, Arisu," the brunette asked with a tinge of uncertainty.

Kintarou Arisugawa looked at his longtime friend and sighed. "I know this job was hard on you, Yumi-chan, but if we let regret deter us from our goal, we will never succeed in destroying the Ogasawara Machine." The blondes voice turned venomous, "Remember how that black-haired bitch and her husband chewed us up and spit us out, like we meant nothing, and wasting the best years of our lives. Not to mention what happened to Yukiichi."

At the mention of her younger brother, Yumi's resolve stiffened and her eyes reflected cold fire. "You're right Arisu, there is no room for regret."

* * *

Author's Notes:

A new story start for the start of new year. I hope you appreciate this little start to what I hope will be one of my best submissions yet. There will be drama, intrigue, and plenty of twists and turns. I hope you all stick around for the ride. Don't worry friends, you will find out the reason behind why the two sweetest Marimite characters have turned so cold.

I also want to thank my good friend Rasta Lioness for the story idea. I hope I can do it justice.

Finally, please feel free to review and PM me if you have any questions.


	2. Chapter 2

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 2

(5 years ago)

"Sachiko, I'm home," Yumi said as she walked through the door of the off campus apartment she and her girlfriend had shared since she started taking classes at Lillian University. The brunette was just finishing up her second year of college and her over achieving girlfriend was going to be graduating next month after only three years.

Yumi slipped off her shoes, placed her backpack by the door, and went into the kitchen to see what ingredients she needed to buy for dinner. She squealed when she felt a person behind her give her buttocks a firm squeeze.

"Sachiko," the brunette said to the older girl once her heart left her throat. "How many times do I have to tell you, not to surprise me like that. You'll make me die of a heart attack one of these days."

"But you make such cute little noises, my love," the black haired heiress said, turning the younger girl around to face her. "I just can't help myself sometimes." Sachiko wrapped her arms around Yumi, and kissed her girlfriend with a hint of passion.

"So that's how you want to play it," Yumi said seductively, before devouring Sachiko's lips with her own. As the two girls' tongues fought for dominance, the brunette slowly pushed her lover back until Sachiko was pinned against the counter. The younger girl pressed her body against her partner while moving her head and nibbling the heiress's soft neck.

Sachiko started to purr, and pulled Yumi tighter against her body. She felt the younger girl's hands run up her sides, pulling her blouse out of her skirt. She moaned as Yumi's warm hand slid up her stomach and caressed her left breast. She started feeling flush as her girlfriend trailed love bites down the side of her neck to the top of her chest. She placed her hands on Yumi's shoulders, pushing Yumi down to her knees.

At some point during their passionate lovemaking, the two girls ended up naked on the floor of the living room. Yumi looked up at Sachiko and smiled, basking in the bliss of being close to the person she loved most in the world. She snuggled closer to her partner, laying her head upon the heiress' chest and listening to Sachiko's racing heart.

"Yumi, we have to talk," Sachiko said in a serious tone, causing the brunette to sit up and look at her lover.

"What's wrong," the younger girl asked in concern.

"I'm marrying Suguru," the black haired woman said with finality. "The wedding will occur after I graduate."

The brunette, not believing her ears, did a double-take, "Huh!? What? You can't!"

"I don't know what your problem is," Sachiko stated flatly. "You knew I was engaged before we became soeurs. This shouldn't surprise you in the least. I never said anything about canceling the engagement."

"What about the last two years we have been living together," Yumi argued.

"It was a fun diversion," the heiress answered. "You gave me many happy memories."

"You said you loved me," the younger girl wailed. "Doesn't that mean anything."

"There is a difference between love and duty, Yumi. I wish you could understand that. I did not lie to you. I loved you. Now, I can't," Sachiko said coldly. "I have to follow my family's wishes. I cannot refuse, nor would I even consider it."

"What your saying is you don't love me anymore," the brunette said, her voice trembling.

Sachiko stood up and looked down on the sobbing girl. "If that's what it takes, to get you to move on, then yes," the heiress said as she turned around and strode to the bedroom.

Yumi beat her fists against the couch and wept violently, crying out at the top of her lungs until her body couldn't take anymore and it settled down to tears and sobs. She looked up at Sachiko and watched the woman exit the bedroom with a small suitcase. When the older girl got to the door she turned to the girl sobbing on the floor and said calmly. "The rent is paid until the end of the month, and I already transferred 100 million yen into your account for services rendered."

"So all I was was a high priced whore!" The brunette screamed accusingly.

"If that is what you want to believe," the heiress said flatly. "I don't have any more time for your histrionics. I hope you'll understand someday." She turned and faced Yumi and bowed slightly. "Thank you for taking care of me." Sachiko turned back around, opened the door and left the apartment, leaving the distraught girl kneeling in the middle of the living room.

After Sachiko left, Yumi cried into the cushion of the couch until it was soaked and the brunette had no more tears to shed. With an eerie calm, she pushed herself off the floor and staggered to the bathroom. Yumi splashed water on her face, and started the bathtub filling with hot water.

The young girl exited the room and walked into the kitchen. She reached out her hand toward the butcher block on the counter to get a knife. When her hand closed on thin air she looked accusingly at the empty knife holder, then proceeded to open every drawer looking for one. Having no success, the girl cried out in frustration, dropped to her knees, and leaned against the cabinet, beating the back of her head against it.

As the rhythmic pounding worked it's way through her being, Yumi's mantra became, _'Let me die'_. She lost track of time, as her mind repeated those words, over and over again. They only stopped when the back of her head unexpectedly impacted something soft, rather than the hard surface of the cabinet. She fought as she felt herself pulled into a tight embrace.

"Shhh, Yumi-chan," a voice whispered into her ear, as her body was gently rocked back and forth. "Sei will make everything alright. You'll get through this, kitten. I promise." Yumi snuggled into her friends shoulder and cried a second time.

Sei held the younger girl as her cries became sobs and her sobbing quieted to sniffles. She pushed Yumi's head off her shoulder and gently wiped away the tear tracks with her thumb. "Are you calmed down now," she said softly. When the brunette nodded, she sighed. "Let's get you washed up."

Sei helped Yumi to her feet, and the two women walked to the bathroom. She slowly led them through the pooling water that came from the overflowing tub. She guided the brunette to the tub and turned off the water. The sandy haired woman gently lifted her friend and set Yumi down in the bathtub.

Sei stripped and started washing down the expression less girl in the tub. _ 'Damn it Sachiko,'_ she thought angrily. _ 'Leaving me to clean up your mess.'_ Sachiko had called the sandy haired girl less than a half hour ago and commanded simply, "Yumi is at the apartment. The door is unlocked. Go help her," before hanging up. Not knowing what was going on, she rushed over here and upon hearing the commotion inside, rushed in to the rescue.

Sei knew deep down, that no matter what the heiress did, this wouldn't have ended well. _ 'At least she thought to take the knives,'_ she thought thankfully, as she looked at the brunette's empty eyes. The older woman knew what it was like to be devastated and alone. If it wasn't for her Onee-sama and Youko, she probably wouldn't have made it after Shiori left. She gently washed Yumi's face, talking softly to the younger girl. "Don't worry, kitten. I'm here. I won't leave you."

The older woman started the bathtub draining, and spread some towels on down to mop up the water laying on the floor. She then helped Yumi stand, in order to towel the young girl dry. Sei guided Yumi to the sofa after wrapping her friend in a fluffy white robe. "Why don't you just rest here for now, while I start heating water for tea," she told her friend, and headed to the kitchen. "When you're ready to talk about it, I'll be here to listen."

Yumi pulled the robe tighter around herself and when she inhaled the familiar scent of roses caught her nostrils. She smiled sadly and said softly, "This was Sachiko's."

Sei came back to the living room, once she started the water heating. "Did you say something, Yumi-chan," she inquired, sitting down next to the younger girl and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Yumi looked at Sei and shook her head. The older girl looked back at her friend with concern. The thing that most bothered the sandy haired woman was the brunette's dead eyes. They usually telegraphed a hint of the girl's emotional state, but this time there was nothing.

Sei got up off the couch when the teapot whistled, and returned shortly with the tea. She put the tray on the coffee table and poured two cups of the brown liquid. She held a cup in front of her friend, who took it and sipped automatically. Sei sat back down and sipped hers. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Sachiko left," Yumi stated flatly. "She's getting married after graduation. She said I was a fun 'diversion,' and paid me off."

"I don't believe that," Sei responded with surprise. "Anyone who looked at the two of you together could see that you both loved each other."

The brunette shook her head. "If she truly loved me, she wouldn't have acted so cold. She wouldn't be marrying Kashewagi."

"Why don't you start from the beginning," Sei suggested.

Yumi haltingly related to her older friend everything that had transpired since she had come home from class that afternoon until the time Sachiko walked out the door. By the end of the story Yumi's tears started leaking again, and Sei was quite irritated with Ogasawara Sachiko.

_'Sleeping with Yumi, and then breaking up with her,' _the gray eyed girl thought disgustedly. _ 'Sachiko has a lot to learn about tact. Plus adding insult to injury by giving her money.'_ The older girl was seeing red and heaven help the heiress next time they met. She wrapped Yumi in a tight embrace, kissed the top of her friend's head, and said, "You'll get through it, Yumi-chan."

"But it hurts so much I can't stand it," the brunette whined. "I feel like I'm going to die. When will it stop hurting."

"I don't think it ever will completely stop hurting," the older girl stated. "But it will lessen over time. The wound is still fresh. But as you force yourself to push through each day, you'll get stronger and things will get better. Giving up just because Sachiko left, is a coward's way out, and I'd really miss my little Yumi-chan." Sei gave the girl a little squeeze. "Now I think the best thing for you to do is get some sleep. I'm sure you're exhausted. I'll stick around for a few days until you're stronger." The older woman helped Yumi to bed, who fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Over the next few days Yumi's emotional state improved bit by bit. She was nowhere near the way she used to be, but the brunette didn't go around like the walking dead, and her eyes showed a tinge of sadness rather than numb shock. She was even telling Sei she might return to her classes the next day.

That's when the other shoe dropped.

Yumi was packing up some of her things, getting ready to move out of the apartment and back home to her parents. With the money she received from Sachiko, she could have easily taken over the lease. But with Sachiko gone, the place just didn't feel like home anymore, and the strong memories that the apartment contained were sometimes too painful to bear.

The phone rang, just as she was taping a box shut. She walked over and answered it. "Fukuzawa here," she spoke into the hand set.

"Yumi, I need you to come home right away," her father said, slowly, as if he had to think about each word before he spoke. The brunette could hear the sounds of her mother weeping in the background.

"What's going on," she asked, concerned, not liking what she was hearing. "What happened?"

At her question, her father broke down and sobbed. "I-It's Y-Yukki. H-He got hit by a train. H-He's dead." After hearing the second set of devastating news in the past week, Yumi screamed, and fell to her knees, dropping the phone in the process. Sei came running from the bedroom, and quickly went over to her friend to see what was wrong.

Yumi looked up at the sandy haired woman, with tears in her eyes. "Y-Yukki's dead. I-I need to get home."

* * *

Authors Notes: I'm sorry for the little cliff hangar at the end. I thought this was enough drama to put in one chapter. So we will see what happened to Yukki in the next chapter, which I hope to have out within the week. Thank you all for reading, following, and reviewing.

This is where I normally respond to reviewers. I made a new year's resolution to try my best to respond individually to each one. So if you would like a response to your review, please remember to log into your account before leaving one.

Again, thank you all for being here.


	3. Chapter 3

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 3

(Still 5 years ago)

Fukuzawa Yukki exited the campus of Tokyo U. He was heading out to get a bite to eat before returning to the university's library to get more research for his History paper. He was turning onto the street when he heard a car's horn blaring behind him. He turned to look, and parked on the street was a red colored sports car.

_'Maybe I won't be working on my paper tonight,'_ the young man thought as he smiled and ran over to the vehicle getting in the passenger side. Sitting in the drivers seat was a handsome prince with black hair, two years his senior. He leaned over the gear shift and gave the man a full kiss on the lips, before settling back into his seat. "What are you doing here, Sugar-san," the young man said, using his personal pet name for the older man.

"I can't just drop by and see my little Yukiichi," the handsome man said, looking over at his young lover with twinkling eyes. "I wanted to take you out to dinner. You've been buried in your studies for so long, I barely remember your face." The black haired young man pouted.

"Cut the drama," Yukki scolded. "It's only been a week."

"My, my, my. Aren't we being a bit cheeky today," the driver said teasingly, as he started up the car and turned into traffic. "I was thinking Italian for tonight. What do you think?"

"I'm fine with anything," the younger man answered. "Just seeing you is a treat. You've been busy getting ready for graduation. The couple of hours we squirrel away together every no and then, is never enough." He moved his and over and rested it upon his lover's sitting on the gear shift. The older man raised Yukki's hand to his mouth and touched it to his lips before releasing it.

The two men sat in comfortable silence as they drove to their destination. A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination. They exited the vehicle and the older man handed his keys to the red coated valet outside the entrance to the restaurant. They entered and were greeted by the Maitred. "Kashewagi-sama, how good for you to come visit us. If you'll follow with me I have your table ready."

The older man nodded. He and Yukki trailed the black suited man through the restaurant and to a secluded table in the back. "Your waiter will be with you shortly," the Maitre'd stated, handing the gentlemen each a menu, before leaving them to decide on what to order.

A few minutes later another black suited gentleman came over carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. "Complements of the management," he indicated, placing a wine glass in front of each of the men sitting there. He went on to open the bottle and pour it into the glasses, placing the half empty bottle on the table next to the older man. "Have you decided on what you're having tonight?" The two men gave the waiter their order, and the man left to bring it back to the kitchen.

The man with the black hair sighed, picked up the glass and took a sip. When he placed it back down on the table, he looked at the young man with a quirky smile. Yukki noticing the unusual grin on his boyfriend's face commented on it. "What's the matter, Sugar-san? Did I grow a second head?"

Suguru leaned forward and took the younger man's hand in his and responded. "It's nothing like that, Yukiichi. "I'm just amazed that we got together at all. You have to admit. You didn't make it easy on me."

"Well, when I first met you, you did act like a cocky, arrogant, conceited ass," the younger man explained. "I mean acting like you were doing me a favor by taking me on as your apprentice, when I really didn't care one way or the other."

"But, I did do you a favor," the older man argued, good naturedly. "You never had to decide between cultural or sport activities. I mean if I didn't step in, I swear you'd still be standing in front of those paths to this day."

"I still thought you were a bastard though," Yukki chuckled.

Suguru laughed along with his lover, "Yes, I was a bit full of myself back then. But what made you change your mind about me?"

"After a while, I noticed how caring you were behind all of your bluster," the brown haired man explained. How you looked after Arisu. How you cared for Sachiko-san, even though she treated you horribly. But most of all, it was how you treated my sister. You were so kind and gentle to her. You helped her in her relationship with Touko-chan, and Sachiko-san. You don't know how much that meant to me."

Suguru took another sip of wine. "Yumi-chan is a real special person. She has a huge heart and cares about everyone she meets. She's honest and diligent. I really don't think she has it in her to be mean or duplicitous. When I looked at her, I saw how much of an ass I was, and wanted to change."

Just then the food arrived. The waiter put their meals in front of them, and refilled their glasses. The two men didn't say much to each other as they were eating the food set in front of them. When they finished the older man looked up at his lover and said, "Let's go for a little ride after this."

Yukki nodded, then finished the last of his wine. His older friend pulled some bills out of his wallet, placed the into the leather folio contain the check, and stood up from the table. "Ready?"

Yukki got up also, and followed the older man out of the restaurant. In a few minutes the car was brought to them and they got inside. The younger man looked over at the driver, as they pulled out into the street. "What's wrong, Sugar-san," he asked, noticing the pained expression on his lover's face.

"It's over, Yukiichi," the older man stated sadly. "I can't see you anymore."

The young man felt his heart being ripped out of his chest. "Why? What did I do wrong," Yukki said, trying his best to stay calm despite the bombshell that was just dropped on top of him.

"It's not anyone's fault, Yukiichi," the driver said. "I'm going to marry Sachiko."

"You bastard," the younger man exclaimed. "You promised me you'd get out of that shitty arranged marriage. Did you even try?"

"Even if the wedding was canceled," Suguru argued. "There's still no way we would have 'come out' as a couple. I could never dishonor my family like that."

"Even so," the brown haired man said, holding back his tears. "We would have worked something out. We could have kept it hidden. I would still be your one and only..."

"What makes you think, you were the only one," Suguru stated flatly. "Granted you were my favorite, but there have been others."

"You shit," Yukki screamed as he started raining blows all over the older man, causing the car to swerve.

"Yukiichi, Stop it! We'll get into an accident and die," Suguru yelled.

That didn't stop the younger man from hitting his ex. "Then at least we'd be together forever."

Suguru slammed on the brakes, forcing the sports car to a screeching halt. The car behind them wasn't able to stop in time and rammed into the rear of the red car, causing the two men to lurch forward. "Are you alright," the older man asked.

Yukki opened the car door, and said, "What do you care? Don't worry, Sugar-san after tomorrow you won't have Fukuzawa Yukki around anymore." He then exited the car and walked off.

The next morning, the brown-haired young man posted a package and the went to follow through on the promise he made.

XxX

Yumi taped up another box and stacked it by the door of her apartment. She had to keep herself busy or the heavy wait of despair would consume her. This morning, she had knelt between her parents after her brothers funeral, listening to people come up and offer their condolences. Afterward she had to get away from it all, so she came straight here. She was still clad in the black mourning dress she wore for the funeral. Just as she was walking back to the bedroom, she heard a knock at the door.

She didn't feel like seeing anybody, so she stayed still, hoping that the person at the door would think nobody was home and go away. The knock came again, followed by a plaintive voice, "Yumi-san, are you here. It's Arisu. If your here please answer. I have something for you. It's from Yukki."

Yumi turned around and answered the door. On the other side stood the blond haired boy, who had been a friend of her and Yukki for years. His eyes were red and puffy, and he looked forlorn, like a lost little boy. The brunette welcomed the boy in with a comforting embrace. Arisu wrapped his arms around the girl and they both stood for a long moment, drawing strength from each other.

Yumi released the boy first and said, "Have a seat on the couch. I'll go make us some tea."

The blonde made his way into the living room and sat sullenly on the couch. He looked at the boxes by the front door. "So you're moving out," he said trying to make neutral conversation.

Yumi came back with the tea and placed the tray on the coffee table. "Yes," she responded sadly. "Without Sachiko here the place brings back hurtful memories."

"I'm sorry, Yumi-san," the boy said, with a pout. "I shouldn't have brought it up. You must be doubly devastated, with Sachiko marrying Suguru, and Yukki committing suicide on top of it."

"Yukki didn't commit suicide," the brunette's exclaimed. "It was a stupid train accident. I don't care what the police say. They're just trying to keep the transit company out of trouble."

"I think this proves otherwise," the boy said, handing Yumi a parcel. "This got delivered in my afternoon mail. I'm sorry Yumi-san"

In the package was a leather bound journal, and an envelope addressed to her. She opened the envelope and took out the letter. There was no mistaking Yukki's strong handwriting. It read:

_**Dearest Sister,**_

_**I hope you're not upset with what I've done. I just don't have the will to go on without him. You should understand what I'm feeling more than anyone else. The feelings of desolation, when the eyes that shined down upon you, have turned cold and distant. The humiliation you feel when you find out you were just a toy. You were always the stronger one of us Yumi. The one able to put one foot in front of the other, no matter what life threw at you. I just don't have the willpower to push through the pain in my heart. I'm sorry Yumi, please forgive me.**_

_**I have also sent along my personal journal. It would be very embarrassing to the family if this got out, but I also wanted you to know that part of my life I kept secret.**_

_**Take care of yourself**_

_**Yukki**_

"Kashewagi, you bastard," Yumi screamed, bringing her hands to her face, dropping the book and letter to the floor, as her tears flowed yet again. Arisu's arms wrapped around her, as his own tears started leaking from his eyes. The tea, letter, and journal were all but forgotten as the two of the cried on each others shoulders.

XxX

Yumi stirred, feeling warm breath hitting her cheek. She wasn't fully awake yet, though she was aware she was on the couch leaning on somebody. She shifted a little to get more comfortable and felt the arms around her pull her closer to the person next to her, and a pair of soft lips gently touched her cheek, and nuzzle up to her ear. The warm breath, coupled with the light touch caused a tingling sensation that spread throughout her face.

The pair of soft lips caught Yumi's earlobe, and gently suckled at it, drawing a quiet moan from the brunette. Her hear was released and she heard a boy say dreamily. "So your ears are your week point, Yukiichi."

"Arisu," the young girl called softly, and turned her head to look at the face next to hers. Just as she was face to face, Arisu moved forward, and touched Yumi's lips lightly, catching her off guard. _'So soft and full,'_ she thought to herself. _ 'Just like a girl's_. _ It feels good._' Without thinking, the brunette parted her lips slightly to deepen the kiss. She put her hand on Arisu's smooth cheek and pulled his face into hers.

They sucked tenderly on each others lips, then the boy pulled away slightly and whispered, "Your lips are so soft, and sweet, Yukiichi. I'm drunk just from your kiss."

In the back of her mind, Yumi knew it was wrong to go on, but she couldn't help herself. There was a need inside her that had to be met. A need to know that she was still alive. That she still could feel. She leaned in to kiss Arisu's soft, luscious lips, and ran her tongue along the space where they met. The boys lips parted, allowing the brunette entry, while his arm pulled the girl closer to his body.

Yumi felt a bulge press against her thigh. _'Could this be..'_ she thought as she moved her hand from his cheek, down to Arisu's crotch. She pressed her hand against it, feeling it's size and shop through the material of his pants. _ 'So they really are shaped like that,' _she thought, amazed, thinking back to that present Sei gave her for her eighteenth birthday. She felt around a little more and heard the boy moan, this caused her to get even more aroused.

"You dirty boy, Yukiichi," Arisu dreamily teased. "Now you must let touch yours." The boys hand trailed gently up Yumi's hip and across to where the expected appendage would be. When the hand didn't find what it was looking for it patted around looking, causing slight tremors to shoot through the brunettes body.

Yumi moved quickly away as if she'd been burned. At the same moment Arisu sat up and became aware of his surroundings. The boy and girl looked at each other, red faced from embarrassment. "I'm sorry," they both said in unison, looking away from the other.

The apartment became deadly silent. Yumi finally spoke first. "I never knew you felt that way about my brother."

"It was love at first sight," Arisu stated. "At least on my part. I don't think he ever saw me as anything more than a friend."

"Did you ever confess to him," Yumi asked.

"I never had the courage," the blonde said sadly. "I don't think I could have handled his rejection. And now it's too late." Arisu wiped at the tears forming in his eyes.

"I'm certain he knows how you feel now," the brunette said comfortingly.

"It's too late now," the young man whined. "I'll never be able to be with him."

"Yes you can," Yumi said as the throbbing in her loins, met the spark in her mind. "I can be your Yukiichi, and you can help me feel alive again. Then we can both get back at the two people who shattered our lives." She leaned forward with fiery eyes, put a hand on Arisu's thigh and kissed him forcefully. "So what do you think," she asked grabbing his hand and standing up.

After a few seconds thought, Arisu stood also, and let the brown haired girl lead him into the bedroom.

XxX

The next morning, Arisu and Yumi agreed to join forces and became co-conspriators to undermine the future leadership of the Ogasawara Group. To this end Yumi decided she had to make herself scarce for the next year or two until she finished college. She finished up her remaining semester at Lillian U, then applied and got accepted to a college in the US. In memory of her brother she started wearing her hair in his style. During that time Arisu did his best to prove himself worthy to take the reins of his family's company.

* * *

Author's Notes:

In the next chapter we will be going back to the present, to see what other mischief, our hero and heroine can get into. Thanks for keeping up with this story, and for the reviews and the follows. I'll try and get the next chapter up in a week.

Until next time..


	4. Chapter 4

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 4

(Returning to the present day)

"Well you better find me something, or find yourself a new job!"

Ogasawara Sachiko (she kept the family name after her marriage) slammed the phone down on its cradle, and screamed in frustration. She had been in the office since 5:00 AM, rushing there right after she received the phone call from the manager of Nakamura Bio-tech, about the complete data loss they experienced as a result of the attack by the group 'Anonymous.'

She looked up at the sound of the door opening and closing. In walked Suguru, her husband of five years. He seemed cool and collected despite what was happening in the New Development Department. "Calm down, Sa-chan," he said smoothly. "Remember what the doctor said about working yourself up too much."

"I don't think he'd say that, if he had to deal with fools and incompetents all day," the black haired woman remarked. "Doesn't anyone keep paper copies anymore?"

"I believe someone suggested four or five years ago, that 'paper files take up valuable space that could be more efficiently used for other purposes,'" the young executive chuckled.

Sachiko looked at her husband with a death glare. "If I knew then that it would bite me in the ass like this, I never would have suggested it," she told the man on the other side of the desk.

"What's the status," Suguru asked seriously.

"We have nothing," Sachiko answered. "The tape backups are all corrupt due to a physical defect in the tape drives themselves. Our off site disk backups suffered the same fate as our live data. In short, unless someone has a printout, the project is dead."

"What about the lead engineer," the young man suggested. "Do they have anything hand drawn? Or any data squirreled away at home?"

The young woman shook her head. "She did the designing on her company laptop, and we have those so locked down that once it's booted, you can't attach any external drives. In short, our policies screwed us over."

"Well, I guess we will have to start from scratch using the memories of the lead engineer."

The black haired woman sighed. "We can't do that either," she said. "She tendered me her resignation after I spoke with her this morning."

"In other words, you chased her off," Suguru inferred. "You really have to do something about your temper Sa-chan."

"I swear somebody's out to get me," Sachiko stated.

"Quit being paranoid," Suguru said calmly. "This group hit a bunch of low cost manufacturers in China. One of which is contracted to provide Nakamura with components. I believe we got hit with the overflow. Serves us right for utilizing 'sweat shops.'"

"I disagree," the heiress argued. "Look at my track record. I have been assigned two major projects in the last five years, and both have been utter failures. I am finally trusted again two years after the O'Connell debacle, when I was in Acquisitions. And now, just as I am seeing the completion of this project, It goes to hell too."

"A lot of business ventures fail," the young man explained. "You're just having a run of bad luck."

"That's not it, Suguru," Sachiko countered. "Compare our offer to the offer O'Connell accepted. Yes, it was a sweeter deal, but when you look at the cash amount, the difference is only one US penny. Somebody sent a message to me. And that somebody knew the exact details of our offer."

"But Sa-chan, we investigated our courier on the matter," the man on the other side of the desk told his wife. "The envelope was still sealed when the offer was tendered. As far as the courier in concerned. Apart from liking ladies a bit too much, there was no other dirt on him. Don't let it get to you, Sa-chan." The man got up from his seat. "I have a meeting with the old man. Will I see you at home tonight."

Sachiko nodded agreement, before the man left her office. She sat back in her leather chair and thought about her last two failures. She felt certain that it wasn't just stress induced paranoia, as her husband was so fond of suggesting. She was in fact being targeted by an unknown party, for undisclosed reasons. She started a mental list of all her rivals, professional and personal and removed those, who for various reasons, didn't have the capability or means to accomplish both attacks.

The office door opened a second time, disturbing the heiress' analysis. "What the hell is it this time," she growled at the smartly dressed young brunette with pigtails, her personal assistant, Kanabara Mitsuki.

The younger woman cringed with fear at her boss' tone. She had been working under Sachiko for just under two years, and that woman always gave her the impression that she could do nothing right.

Sachiko looked up at her assistant. The girl's expression reminded her of another brunette she met a long time ago, who suffered from severe confidence issues and a raging inferiority complex. She smiled fondly at the memory, and her face softened. "I'm sorry Mitsu-chan," she said. "But this whole Nakamura fiasco has gotten me on edge. I didn't mean to take it out on you. What is it you wanted?"

"It's ten o'clock, and you wanted me to remind you of your appointment at the fertility clinic," the brunette responded.

"Thank you, Mitsu-chan," Sachiko replied. "Could you have the car meet me out front. Also, could you contact Security and Investigations and have them start looking into the recent activities of Kagami Ritsuko, the head engineer on the Nakamura project."

"Certainly, Sachiko-sama," the young assistant said eagerly, turned and walked out of the office.

XxX

_'Damn that f-ing bastard. How dare he bring up Yukki like that,'_ Yumi thought after Arisu left. She quickly finished up her coffee and left the restaurant. As she walked through the door, she could feel the first tinges of 'darkness' clouding her mind. Others may call it 'depression' or 'despair,' but the brunette calls it: 'Darkness,' cold, numbing, all-consuming.

When the brunette first started attending college in the US, she suffered through a number of bouts of this ailment. The only way Yumi had found to combat it was through a strong physical stimulus that cut through the numbness.

Over time, she found pain and masturbation helped, but it was only a short, temporary relief. The most effective treatment she'd found so far was sex with a partner. The intimate touching between two people seemed the best way to feel alive and not so alone. By the end of her first year in the States, Yumi had figured out to keep the darkness at bay, as the number of partners she seduced can attest.

Every now and then, something would happen that reminded her of Sachiko or her brother Yukki, and the 'Darkness' would start to creep in again. This is what the brunette was feeling now. The precarious house of cards that kept her intact was slowly collapsing one by one.

Yumi looked ahead, and saw the train station. She could take one home. On the way she might find some companionship for the afternoon. The queue was full of people trying to get to work. As she waited in line she saw a possible conquest. A taller black haired Office Lady was just waking through the turnstile. She kept track of the woman with her eyes, and wondered, _'Why is it that my first choice always looks like Her.' _

The brunette finally made it through the gate, and she headed toward her prey. As she worked her way over to the dark haired woman, she decided to use the 'Lost Tourist' routine that she perfected during her time in the US. She set her face in an expression of confusion coupled with nervousness, then tentatively approached her quarry. She gently tugged on the woman's sleeve in front of her. "Ano..."

The woman turned around, and Yumi found herself looking at a familiar face. "Yumi-sama," The woman exclaimed with surprise. "Is that you?"

"Kanako-chan," the brunette responded. "I thought that was you, but I wasn't quite sure," she continued, trying to cover up the fact that she was really just on the prowl for an anonymous bed mate. "How have you been?"

"I've been well, thank you for asking," the younger girl answered. "I'm glad to see you came back to Japan. Is this permanent?" The girl sounded hopeful. "Or are you just visiting?"

"Semi permanent," Yumi replied. "I often go overseas on long term contracts for my employer. I'm a Systems Analyst for a software company. How about you?"

"I work as a plain old Office Lady, for a publishing company," Kanako said somewhat reluctantly. "I had to quit college and start working when my mother got sick."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the brunette said compassionately. "But I get the impression you don't really like your job."

"It was the only job I could get with my skill set," the younger girl responded. "I wouldn't mind it much, but the editor likes to play grab ass with us girls. So the environment is very stressful. I'd quit, but I can't afford to."

"Let me make a call, and see if I can get you a job working for my employer," Yumi suggested, wanting desperately to help out her friend. She took out her cell phone and dialed Arisu. When the man answered she immediately said, "I need a favor. Do you have any office or office manager positions open?"

"Why," Arisu chucked. "Are you looking for a job?"

"No, it's for a friend of mine. Hosokawa Kanako," the brunette told the man on the other end of the phone. She worked with us on the Yamayurikai play in my second year. Tall, black hair ..."

"The hiragane?" He questioned, interrupting Yumi.

"That's her," Yumi confirmed. "She's currently working as an OL for a publishing company. I really think she can be an asset to you."

Arisu sighed. "Send her by tomorrow. I'll hire her. You owe me, though."

"Thank you Arisu," Yumi said with gratitude, before hanging up the phone.

The brunette turned to Kanako. "Good news he'll hire you. Here's the address," she said passing the taller girl a business card. "Be there tomorrow and talk to Arisu."

"Arisu," Kanako repeated to herself, before the light bulb went off. "You mean the 'filthy transvestite' from my first year," she said, acting a little disturbed.

Yumi chuckled at the younger woman's expression and said, deadpan, "It's a job, and you won't have to worry about the boss' roaming hands."

Kanako laughed. "Very true," she said to her companion. "Thank you for looking out for me. I've missed you. I think we all have, since you haven't been in contact, but it's understandable. Especially after ..." she stopped short when she saw Yumi's eyes cloud over. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was hurting you bringing that up."

Yumi shook her head. "It's alright, Kanako-chan," the brunette stated, as she felt a couple more cards topple. "You don't have to walk on egg shells around me."

"You don't look well, Yumi-sama," Kanako said, taking a hold of Yumi's arm, and walking the girl toward the station's exit. "Come. My apartment is right around the corner. Why don't you come have some tea, and rest for a bit."

XxX

Sachiko got out of the black sedan in front of the fertility clinic and walked inside. A nurse immediately came out and escorted her to a sterile suite. The heiress was instructed to disrobe and change into a hospital gown. Once dressed she lay back on the examination table, and waited.

She had been coming here for tests and appointments for the past three years. The family had instructed her and Suguru start coming here when the pair hadn't conceived after two years. She and her husband were both tested, and Suguru was found to be as virile as they come, so apart from having his sperm collected and tested every 6 months, he was no longer required to come here.

Sachiko, on the other hand, was poked, prodded, and tested on a regular basis. It was irritating, but what was more irksome was the fact that her body wasn't perfect. Growing up, she was always told she had to be 'perfect': the 'perfect' child, the 'perfect' daughter, the 'perfect' student, and the 'perfect' wife. Apparently the heiress was not a 'perfect' woman, and that bothered her more than anything.

This test was going to be the final indignity she would face. Win or lose. They were going to be harvesting some of her eggs, and sending them to a lab, which would test to see if they were viable and capable of being fertilized. But deep within Sachiko, sat a question that still remained unvoiced. _ 'Can I still be considered a true woman, if I cannot bear children?'_

This test started four weeks ago when she was given a shot to stop her cycle. Every day after that she injected a different chemical that would increase the production and maturation of her ova. She would come into the clinic every couple days and the doctor would check to see if the eggs had matured enough to proceed with the extraction.

Finally, the doctor said they were ready, and injected her with a third drug. She was scheduled to report here, now to complete the process. The doctor came in, he was about fifty, and had gray hair. He guided her legs into the stirrups on the examination table. The doctor then explained the details of the procedure he was about to perform. He folded the hem of the gown up, in order to reveal Sachiko's bare stomach. Ultrasound gel was smeared across it by the nurse standing off to the heiress' side.

Now came the indignity Sachiko had to face. Once the doctor was set up and prepared, he was going to insert a special needle into her that world pierce her ovary, and collect her eggs. As she felt the cold metal apparatus work it's way up inside her, she half hoped she would be found barren so no man would ever stick anything up inside her again.

XxX

Yumi sat next to Kanako at a low table in the younger girl's one bedroom studio apartment. "I know it's not much," the black haired girl stated as she poured the older girl some tea. "I had to get rid of the house when my mother became ill and had to stay at the hospital."

"It's okay, Kanako-chan. Thank you for having me," Yumi said looking around the apartment. Her eye fell on a table upon which was some incense and candles. Hanging on the wall behind it were two pictures next to each other. One picture was of an older woman. It looked a lot like the younger girl, so the brunette assumed the photo was of the girl's mother. The second picture was the two shot of her and Kanako that Tsukato-san took the day of the soeur audition.

"It's not what it looks like, Yumi-sama," Kanako stated, noticing where the older girl's attention was directed. "I sit there each night and pray for my family and friends." She poured more tea for the two of them and continued. "I am so glad you're back Yumi-sama. I was devastated when you left. Touko was too. And then when she found out you went to the States, she approached me and asked me to come along. We were about ready to go, when Shimako caught wind of it. She told us we were being foolish, and said that there was a reason you didn't tell anybody. Maybe it was too painful to be here and you needed time to sort things out. So she talked us out of the trip. I can understand why you left, but I was still crushed by it."

Yumi gave the younger girl a quizzical look. "Why," she asked.

"Because I loved you, dammit," Kanako spouted. "When I first came to Lillian, I idolized you. I was so mean to you, when you didn't meet my expectations. Yet you came back for me. You did the same for Touko. Every time you gave of yourself, I fell deeper. I never confessed back then, because I didn't stand a chance against Sachiko-sama. Then she went and got married, and I thought I had finally gotten my chance at you, but you left without a word. Well I'm not letting this chance slip by. I'm in love with you, Fukuzawa Yumi-sama."

With that declaration, the taller girl leaned over and kissed the brunette with all the love and passion that had lay trapped in her heart for years. Yumi responded automatically, and deepened the kiss. She parted her lips and allowed Kanako's tongue free rein. The younger girl got bolder and pleased her hand on the older girl's chest, squeezing it lightly. Yumi moaned at the tender touch, and drew Kanako into her arms.

The younger girl broke the kiss and started nibbling at her companion's neck, while unbuttoning the older girl's blouse, in order to feel the smooth skin underneath. Yumi felt the 'darkness' retreating as she lost herself in the pleasurable feelings brought on by the younger girl's ministrations.

Yumi dropped her hand down to Kanako's thigh, and was about to push up the hem of the skirt, when she was stopped short, as an image of Ritsuko came unbidden to her mind. Ritsuko's face was replaced by another, and then another. They were images of all the women the brunette was serious about, but could never fully give her heart to. She summoned all her will power and pushed the younger girl away. "I can't do this," she said.

Kanako sat back looking sad and confused. Less than a minute before, she was acting out one of her most precious dreams. To finally be with her beloved Yumi. She never expected to be brought up short. "Why," she whined.

I can't do this to you," the brunette started to explain. "I can't lead you on like this. I am not the same girl I was before I left for the States. I'm colder. Guarded. Selfish. My relationships are a series of one night stands and short term romances. I use people for my own gratification, then run away when they get too close. I have no love left in me, only pleasure and pain. I can't give you what you want. I'll only end up using you."

Kanako ripped open her blouse, grabbed Yumi's hand, and brought it up to her breast. "Then use me. It's okay if it's Yumi-sama."

"Is it really okay, Kanako-chan," the brunette said, pressing her hand against the younger girl's breast and running her thumb lightly along the soft flesh between the girl's twin mounds, eliciting a soft moan from the black haired girl. "If I made love to you right here, right now, and then walked away, never seeing you again. Is that okay with you?" Yumi removed her hand, then pulled the edge of the shirt over to cover the exposed area. "I appreciate you telling me your feelings, but do yourself a favor. Go work for Arisu tomorrow and try and find someone who is able to love you the way you deserve."

The brunette leaned over and gave the younger girl a light kiss on the cheek, before standing up, and headed for the door. Before she walked out, she turned her head to the woman on the floor and said, "I'd appreciate it if you kept the news of my return to yourself." Yumi left and started walking down the hall, wiping moisture from her eyes.

The brunette stopped and turned when she heard a voice call out from behind her. "You're wrong, Yumi-sama. There's love left inside you. Otherwise you wouldn't have stopped yourself." Yumi smiled sadly, waved and walked on, never realizing her affliction had ebbed.


	5. Chapter 5

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 5

After her appointment at the fertility clinic, Sachiko went home to the house she shared with her husband. She went straight to her room, and put her briefcase on the floor next to her desk. Upon entering her bathroom, she quickly undressed, and started the water in the shower. When the water was nice and hot, she entered the stall, wet herself down, and started scrubbing herself vigorously with a rough washcloth covered in soap.

She always felt disgustingly dirty and defiled, after her appointments at the clinic. She shuddered, thinking about that vile doctor and his meaty hands touching her most private parts. It took all her strength and will not to kick the man in the face and wring his thick neck. She chucked at the image in her mind, of the doctor pushed up against the wall, eyes bulging, as she choked him with her bare hands.

She turned off the water once she felt clean again, and stepped out of the shower, her skin a bright pink where the rough cloth abraded her skin. She put on her robe when she was dry, and walked back to her bedroom. Sitting down at her desk, she turned on her laptop and connected to the company's VPN, then checked her email.

In less than fifteen minutes she was on the phone with her assistant. "Where are those status reports I asked for," she said, irritated that they weren't in her In-box when she expected them. Even though her pet project was in tatters, she had other development projects to oversee.

"I'm sorry Sachiko-sama," Mitsuki apologized in a submissive tone. "I requested them from the project managers, after you left, and they haven't gotten them back to us. You asked for a lot of information on short notice. I am sure they are rushing to get them to us as fast as they can."

"They should have the status reports ready, and update them on a regular basis," Sachiko noted in an icy tone. "All I asked for was the current status, and what measures they are taking to mitigate any data loss, like what happened with Nakamura. It shouldn't be that hard to compile the data. Now what you need to do is talk to each of the managers and tell them to email me the reports as soon as possible. Also mention that the one who comes in last will be looking for a new job." The heiress hung up the phone, got out of her chair and paced around the room.

As she passed the dresser, her eyes fell on a picture of her and her Onee-sama, Mizuno Youko. The picture was taken on the day of her graduation. The heiress' face softened as she thought about the last time they spoke, five years ago.

**** FLASHBACK ****

Sachiko had called Youko over for tea the day after she broke things off with Yumi. The heiress had something she needed to talk to her Onee-sama about. The two women were seated in the parlor, across from each other, a pot of tea on the coffee table that separated them. Sachiko took a sip of her tea and placed the cup gently down in front of her.

"Onee-sama," she said. "You know I'm getting married in a month, and I was wondering if you would be my Maid of Honor."

Youko, put down her cup, and lay her hands on her lap, sighing. "I thought that was why you asked me here, but I had hopes we'd be talking about something else," the older woman said, disappointed. "Sachiko, you know I care about you, and you'll always be my petit soeur, but I have to refuse your request. I'm sorry."

"Am I entitled to ask why?"

"Certainly," Youko replied, getting out of her seat. "I cannot be a part of something that I don't believe in. And I think you're making the biggest mistake of your life, marrying Kashewagi."

"But, Onee-sama," Sachiko pleaded.

"I'm not willing to hear it," the old woman said coldly. "You made the decision, and you'll have to live with the consequences, and I don't want to hear anything else from you about your marriage or how miserable you are in it. I can't speak for the others, but I'm pretty sure they will all feel the same way. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go." Youko collected her purse, and left the salon, leaving the younger girl alone.

Afterward, Sachiko had tried to ask the other Yamayurikai members to be in her wedding party. They all refused, even her cousin, Touko. Each one of them cited the same reasons Youko did. In the end she had to ask her shrewish cousins, Yukari, Kikuyo, and Keiko, to be in the party, which pleased them to no end.

**** END FLASHBACK ****

Sachiko heard the new mail chime on her computer, and put the picture back on the dresser. She walked back to her desk, sat down and started sifting through the incoming reports, trying to push the unsettling memory out of her head.

XxX

Kanabara Mitsuki walked into the bar after a stressful day of work. She took the ribbons out of her hair, and let it hang down. _ 'God, I hate pigtails,'_ she said to herself, shaking her head to make the hair lay better. No one in the office knew the real reason why Ogasawara Sachiko fired her previous assistant, but rumor in break room had it that she had come to work with her hair in a ponytail, rather than pigtails, and was fired on the spot. So now all the girls in the office wore their hair in the twin tail style.

She took a seat at the bar ordered a beer, and thought about her boss. _'I wonder what got into her,'_ she thought. _'She's usually a royal bitch to start with, but today she was way over the top.' _ Being the heiress' personal assistant, put her directly in the line of fire of the woman's caustic remarks, and constant derision. It hurt, but she was more or less used to it by now. Today it was on a whole different level. She even got sympathetic looks from her worst rivals. Her beer came, so she picked up the bottle, took a long pull from it, and set it back down on the bar. The woman sighed and tried her best to forget about the day. She was just starting to relax when a man's voice behind her caused her to cringe.

"Hey baby," the voice said. "How about keeping me company."

Mitsuki turned slowly around on the stool to look at the man addressing her. He was a middle aged man of medium build, who obviously had been here a while. His suit was wrinkled and his tie loose. His slurred words indicated he was slightly intoxicated also.

"No, thank you," the lady at the bar replied. "I'm waiting for a friend."

"You can wait with me," the drunk man said, taking a hold of Mitsuki's arm. "I'm sitting right over there, where you can keep an eye on the door. They can join us when they get there. He jerked at the arm, trying to get the woman out of the chair.

Suddenly she was pulled out of the man's grip, as a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind as a hand slid into her shirt, and a woman's voice said, "Hi honey. Did you miss me." She felt a pair of soft lips kiss her cheek, before the woman behind her whispered, "Play along." The woman released her hold and moved to face her, pushing the man back slightly.

"Don't scare me like that, dear," Mitsuki chided, recovering from her shock.

"I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you," the newcomer said, leaned seductively over, and planted a passionate kiss on the seated woman. She broke the kiss, took Mitsuki's hand, and helped the woman to her feet. As Mitsuki collected her things, she turned to the man and said, "Excuse us," before leading the woman away. The man shook his head and went back to his seat.

Mitsuki collected her things and followed the woman in a daze. Her mind was still reeling from that kiss. It was the tenderest, gentlest, most passionate kiss she had ever received from anyone of either sex. Her head was flush, her knees were weak, and her stomach felt full of butterflies.

She regained most of her senses by the time they sat down at a table. She looked across the table, finally able to take a good look at her savior. The woman was about her age, with shoulder length brown hair, cut in a boyish style. She was wearing a gold, off the shoulder mini-dress and matching heels. The woman's eyes were brown and had a warmth inside them, much like a cup of hot cocoa on a winter day.

"I'm sorry I acted a bit familiar earlier," the woman in gold said with an embarrassed smile. "I just thought you might need some help with 'lover boy.' By the way, my name is Yumi."

"Mine's Mitsuki," she said. "Thank you for earlier. Although I think I should be mad at you for stealing a kiss." Finishing with a pout.

Yumi's gave the woman a flirty smile, and said boldly, "Feel free to take it back anytime."

Yumi winked at the woman across from her, who was starting to turn red. She had seen Mitsuki walk into the bar and let her hair down. She remembered how time slowed as the woman's brown waves bounced as she shook her head. The brown eyed girl was mesmerized by that woman, until she saw that drunk enter the picture., and Yumi never felt such a thrill as when she felt the woman's soft lips against her own. "Why don't I buy you a drink instead," she asked, taking a sip of the strawberry daiquiri in front of her. "Another beer?"

Mitsuki shook her head. "Can I get one of those," she said, indicating Yumi's drink.

Yumi stood and bowed, "As Mitsuki ojou-sama wishes, so shall I be commanded." She walked back up to the bar, and returned a minute later with two tall daiquiris, one in each hand. She placed one in front of Mitsuki with a flourish, before sitting herself down.

"How multi-talented," the woman said, sipping on her drink. "First a dashing Prince, and now a lowly servant. Which one are you really, I wonder?"

"I'll leave that to your imagination," Yumi said with a smirk.

Mitsuki blushed at the other woman's grin. _'Why do I keep getting drawn to those lips,' _she thought, taking a sip of the cool drink, as she felt herself heat up, thinking about how soft they felt against hers. "So what do you do for a living, Yumi?"

"A little of this. A little of that," the woman in gold said mysteriously. "Actually I'm between jobs right now. How about you, Mitsuki?"

"I'm a personal assistant to the _**bitch from hell**_," she said with mild sarcasm, as the strong drink, made her open up.

"Now, now," Yumi chided. "That's no way to be talking about your boss."

Mitsuki slurped the end of the daiquiri and signaled for another. "You don't know her. She makes me feel like I am under a microscope. I can't do anything right as far as she's concerned. I'm surprised, she hasn't fired me by now."

The bartender came over with two more drinks. Mitsuki reached for her wallet, but Yumi waved her off and passed a couple of bills to the man, who then walked away. The woman thanked her and continued on, "I mean, they say her last assistant was fired for wearing her hair in a pony tail instead of pigtails. What kind of crap is that."

"I think she may have high expectations of herself, and she places them on you," Yumi suggested. "I used to have a sempai like that when I went to high school. She was cold, and not easy to get along with. But she never acted intentionally hurtful. She just was oblivious to how her words and actions were perceived by others."

"So you're trying to defend her," Mitsuki shot back.

"No," Yumi responded. "The situations are similar, so I was just relating my experience with a woman like that. It doesn't make what she does right. I agree her behavior is unacceptable, but you still have to deal with her. I thought if I gave you an explanation, you would find the situation easier."

"I'll think about it," the woman in the business suit said. "Enough of that. I came here to forget about work, so let's have some fun."

Yumi finished her drink and smiled gleefully at the woman across from her. "The night is still young," she stated. "Where do you want to go next, ojou-sama?"

Mitsuki thought for a second then replied, "Dinner and a movie?"

"As you wish, ojou-sama."

XxX

Arisu walked into his room in the Kintarou mansion, after joining his family for dinner. He shut the door, leaned against it and sighed heavily. _'Why do they have to keep pressuring me about marriage,'_ he thought sullenly. _'When will they realize that I'm just not interested.'_ He walked over to the mahogany armoire standing against the wall, and opened the doors. Inside, taped up to the inside walls, were pictures of his dead friend, Yukki. _ 'I miss you so much,'_ he thought in despair. '_Why did you have to be so stupid? I would have helped you through your pain. Why did you always rush in without thinking. But then again, if you didn't, I never would have fell in love with you.' _ The blonde knelt down and remembered the day he first met the brown haired boy.

**** FLASHBACK ****

"If you're going to dress like a girl, you might as well learn to act like a girl," The rough voice told the blonde sprawled in front of him, on the floor of the athletics shed, wearing a Lillian uniform. He grabbed the student's hair, and pulled the blonde to his knees. "Kneel in front of me and unzip my pants." When the blond boy in girl's clothes didn't do as ordered immediately the rough boy, slapped the others face hard. "Now!"

Arisu reached out his shaking hands and undid the older boys pants. "Now take it out, bitch," the rough voice told him. He reached into the pants and took out the other boy's rapidly stiffening member. "Go ahead and lick it."

Fukuzawa Yukki was walking along by the sports fields at school. Kashewagi sempai had asked him to make sure all the sheds were locked, since the athletic clubs had just finished practicing. As he came across the one on the end, he noticed it was unlocked. He reached for the latch, and heard the muffled sounds of a struggle inside. He slid open the door and saw an older boy forcing himself on a cute blonde girl from their sister school, Lillian. Incensed, her rushed over and tackled the older boy to the ground, separating the couple.

With the rough boy sprawled on the floor, Yukki got to his knees, and turned toward the girl. "Are you alright, Miss," he said before he recognized the girl's face. "Arisugawa-san!?"

Just then the rough boy got to his feet and came at Yukki with a baseball bat, he picked up from the floor. "Behind you!" Arisu yelled just in time for his rescuer to barely block the blow. Yukki rushed in close to his assailant and started punching the boy repeatedly in the stomach.

Yukki's opponent, dropped the bat, and fell to his knees from the assault. The brown haired boy then pinned down the other, and beat him until he was unconscious. Yukki then stood up and went over to his classmate in the Lillian uniform, and held out a hand to help Arisu up. Once the blonde was standing, Arisu ran in and wrapped his arms around his classmate. "Thank you," the blonde said, crying and resting his head on Yukki's chest. "I was so scared."

At a loss as to what to do, Yukki wrapped his arms around the weeping boy, patted his back and said, "It's alright. You're safe now. Nobody's going to hurt you."

**** END FLASHBACK ****

That was the day Arisu fell in love with Fukuzawa Yukki. In the blonde's mind Yukki was his knight in shining armor. His prince. Arisu wiped his eyes and took one of the many pictures of Yukki out of the cabinet, kissed it and said, "Don't worry, Love. I'll make the man who killed you pay dearly, or die trying."

* * *

Authors Notes:

At the risk of jinxing myself, I am very happy with this story. It seems to want to throw itself out there. It seems every spare moment I either have another idea in my head, or I am thinking about a section for my next chapter. And I really get irritated when I am called away while I am writing it. Sometimes I wonder what could happen if I could work on it around the clock. But alas, work and family are my priorities, so writing takes third place.

I want to thank all that have read, reviewed, PM'd, followed and added this to their favorites. If it wasn't for you my story would have no voice.

Until next time - Take care of yourselves.


	6. Chapter 6

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 6

"Mitsu," a soft voice tickled her ear. She was in that delightful state between waking and sleeping. She snuggled into the mattress, and stretched out like a cat laying on a sunny porch, one very satisfied cat. She'd never felt so relaxed as she did at this moment. _'Ah, if only this would never end,'_ she thought dreamily, as she rolled over.

Mitsuki had always been driven to succeed. Maybe it was because of her childhood, being the only child of a poor family. After seeing her parents work so hard for the little they received, she decided at a young age that she would do her best to get educated, so she wouldn't suffer the same fate as her parents, who had little schooling and were stuck in their dead end, menial jobs.

And work hard she did. During her middle school years, she studied hard and made it to the top of her class, at the expense of a social life. At the end of middle school, she studied even harder and passed the entrance exams for Fujibayshi High School, the best public high school in her area. She would have loved to have gotten a scholarship to a private school, such as Seiran Academy, Astrea Hill, or even Lillian Jogakuen, but in those cases it was a matter of who you knew in addition to your grades.

Throughout high school, Mitsuki still didn't have many friends, only those she came in contact with regularly, in the course of club activities. She was a member of the debate club, as well as her school's student council. After her three years at Fujibayshi, she graduated at the top of her class as well as one of the most respected Student Council Presidents in the history of the school.

She applied for and won a full scholarship at a local junior college. It wasn't exactly what she was aiming for, but at this point she had already surpassed her parent's middle school education, so she didn't take it too hard.

Mitsuki found time to relax in the slower paced, junior college atmosphere. She made some more friends and dated a few times. Just as she graduated though, she found out about the Fukuzawa Fellowship, sponsored by the Ogasawara group, which offered a full ride to University, including expenses, in exchange for signing a five year contract with the company upon graduation. The young girl took a chance, applied for and was granted the award. Had she known then that she would be working for the very demanding Ogasawara heiress, she probably would have made a different decision.

"Mitsu," the voice called again, bringing her closer to wakefulness.

The half asleep girl, though about the events of the previous night. When the two women left the bar, they went to a family owned ramen shop to eat and talk. She found out that her companion was just a year older than her twenty-four, and recently returned from time spent in the States, a place that Mitsuki longed to visit. What she found odd was that Yumi didn't volunteer much about the time before she left Japan. The girl would answer a direct question, but usually in short clipped sentences. It left her with a feeling that there was a lot of pain buried there. So in consideration of that, she herself didn't mention much about her own school life, and kept the conversation to less serious topics.

At the theater, when they were trying to decide on which film to see, she got another glimpse into Yumi's pain. There was a new movie playing, that had just come out called, 'My Sister, My Lover,' written by an up and coming script writer, Satou-san. The movie a about two sisters who fell in love, had a falling out, then settled their differences and got back together. The movie also introduced a relatively new actress as one of the leads, Matsudaira Touko-chan, playing the part of the younger sister left behind.

Mitsuki had really wanted to see it, so she suggested it to her companion. As she said it, Yumi's eyes clouded over and a small frown came across the girl's smiling face, for a moment before the woman's smile returned and she excitedly suggested a romantic comedy instead. After the movie, she didn't think much of the interaction, since Yumi returned to her happy, flirty self.

Mitsuki was most surprised by her own actions afterward. Yumi had offered to escort her home, since it was very late in the evening. She agreed, but after a few minutes of walking, she acted on an urge she had for most of the night. She suddenly pushed Yumi against a store front, and kissed her companion passionately. The kiss was eagerly returned and her partner's hands encircled her and pulled her in close, before Mitsuki broke the kiss. "I believe you owed me that," the office worker said coyly.

She felt Yumi's warm hand take a hold of hers, and the other girl said, "Shall we continue this at my place. It's closer than yours." Mitsuki's first instinct was to say no, but her aching chest, and throbbing loins caused her to rethink herself and agree.

She didn't regret her decision when the were alone in Yumi's bedroom. The woman kissed her softly on the lips, then began to slowly undress her, kissing each part of her body gently as it was exposed. Yumi treated her like a precious, delicate flower. She felt special, like she was the only girl in the world. She melted under Yumi's gentle caresses, and begged for more.

That was the best sexual experience Mitsuki had ever felt. They drank from each other numerous times, as the ebb and flow, give and take, left her floating on air. It was totally different from the rough attentions of her former boyfriends, or even the quick, dirty little trysts she had with some dorm mates at school. That was just sex. Her and Yumi made love.

"Mitsu," the voice came a third time. She opened her eyes and was gazing into the warm brown eyes of the woman who sent her to heaven many times the night before. She smiled and reached out a hand, cupping Yumi's cheek and drew the woman's lips to her own.

"Good Morning, my Prince," she said lovingly, after breaking off the kiss. She looked at the clock beside the bed, and shot up in bed. "It's that late. I'll never make it home in time to change for work. You should have woken me earlier."

Yumi gave her a grin and said, "I've been trying to for the last half hour. You're a sound sleeper."

"That's only because you tired me out so much last night," she said jokingly. "But what am I going to do now. How are you going to take responsibility."

"Already taken care of. Ojousama," Yumi said and pointed to a set of clothes laying on a chair across the room. "Those should fit you, since we are close to the same size, although the shirt may be a bit tight across your chest. Don't worry about yours, I'll get them cleaned, and give them to you tonight. That is, if you want to see me again."

"I'd stay with you all day if I could," Mitsuki said honestly. "But I'll settle for tonight. Can I use your shower?"

Yumi gave the woman a winning smile. "Sure, it's through that door. I left you fresh towels. Feel free to use anything you want. When you're ready, come out, and I'll have breakfast waiting."

Mitsuki got out of bed and padded to the bathroom, sashaying her hips seductively. "Are you sure you don't want to join me," she said in a throaty voice."

"If I did that, you'd never get to work," Yumi chuckled.

"Party pooper,"the naked girl said going through the door and shutting it behind her.

After she had showered and changed, she walked out of the bedroom and headed toward the kitchen. When Yumi saw her, her lover plated the food and placed it on the breakfast bar. She pulled out the stool in front of the food, and sat down while Yumi poured her a cup of coffee. It was a simple meal of fried eggs and buttered toast, but compared to what Mitsuki usually made for herself, it was a gourmet meal.

The two ate in comfortable silence, gazing at each other from either side of the pass through. "Thank you for a delicious breakfast Yumi," Mitsuki said after wiping her mouth on a napkin. "By the way, did you happen to see my hair ribbons when you picked up my clothes," she asked. "Heaven forbid, I don't have my hair up."

"I don't remember seeing them," Yumi stated. "But let me see if I can find you something." She walked into the bedroom, and opened her top dresser drawer. She reached in and pulled out a pair of hair ribbons. They were white and had roses imprinted on them. Because of her new hair style, she didn't really need them any more, so Yumi had threw away most of hers before she moved to the States. There were a couple however she couldn't bear to part with. This pair was given to her by Sachiko on her eighteenth birthday. She looked at them fondly, before taking them out to the kitchen.

"These are exquisite," Mitsuki said, amazed, as she felt the fine silk, and looked at the delicate design.

"You can have them," Yumi told her. "I really don't put my hair up anymore, and they are much too pretty to keep stuffed in a drawer. Consider them a gift."

"I-I couldn't," Mitsuki said shyly.

Yumi took the ribbons back from the girl and tied Mitsuki's hair into twin tails. "Perfect. You must always be conscious of your appearance. Maria-sama is watching, after all," she said chuckling.

Mitsuki looked at the other woman with a confused expression. "What's so funny," she asked

"Just a little personal joke," Yumi replied. "I'll explain it to you sometime. You better get going, Mitsu, or you'll be late for work."

The woman in the business suit looked at her watch. "Eek!" She exclaimed and ran to the door. Just before she reached it, she turned around and ran back to Yumi. "Give me your phone number," she said. "I'll give you a call before I leave work, and we can meet up later.

Yumi wrote her number down on a piece of paper quickly, and handed it to Mitsuki, as she leaned in to give the girl a kiss. "Have a good day at work, Mitsu. See you tonight."

Mitsuki turned around quickly and ran out the door.

XxX

"I'm very sorry to hear about the Nakamura fiasco," Arisu told his long time sempai in all sincerity. "If you want, I can have my best computer forensic techs go over there to see what they can recover."

"If it's not a bother," Suguru responded. "I'd appreciate it."

"It's no trouble at all," Arisu told the black haired man across the table from him. "What are friends for." It nauseated the blonde to act so chummy to his former mentor, who caused the death of his first and only love. But appearances must be maintained. It wouldn't do to lose his valuable source of information into the workings of the Ogasawara. Group. So he kept up the good kouhai pretense, even though it killed him every time.

Their weekly breakfast meetings started shortly after Yukki's death. Arisu started it under the auspices of offering each other support over the loss of a close friend. Now five years later it had become more of an institution. Meeting up once a week, provided they weren't away on business.

"How is she," Suguru asked the blonde, somewhat sadly.

"Yumi just finished up a job for me here," Arisu replied. "I expect she'll head back to the States shortly. You know she doesn't like sticking around Japan much."

"Well, I just want to thank you for looking out for her," the older man said gratefully. "If Sa-chan knew, she'd be appreciative also. That girl held a special place in each of our hearts."

_'Bullshit. If Yumi was special to her, you and that bitch, wouldn't be married, and Yukki would still be alive,'_ the blonde thought, carefully keeping his derision from showing on his face. "Speaking of Sachiko, any good news in the baby department."

"Well, the good news is, all the plumbing seems to be in working order," Suguru stated, blushing a bit. "She had some ova harvested yesterday, to see if they were viable. If that's the case, we'll be going the in vitro route. If not, then possibly we'll find an egg donor or a surrogate. Either way, I don't think she'd take it well."

Arisu sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said sympathetically. "I know there's not much I can do, but if there ever is, don't hesitate to ask."

The older man smiled sadly. "Thanks. You've been a real friend since Yukki died. I don't know how I could ever repay you. Anything new happening with you?"

"Not much," the blonde replied. "The family is making noises again about getting married. I'm resisting. I'm going to have to give in eventually, but I'll hold out as long as I can."

"Well, if you have to, see if they let you choose the bride," Suguru suggested. "It might make it easier on you afterward."

Arisu smiled in thanks. "I hate to cut this short, but I have a meeting scheduled. Are you free next week?"

"No, I have to go to Kyoto," the man with black hair replied. "I'll give you a call when I get back."

"Fair enough," the blonde said as he rose from the table. "Take care of yourself."

"You too," the seated man said, before the blonde walked away.

XxX

Mitsuki was humming to herself as she walked into the break room to get a cup of coffee before starting work. This drew the attention of one of her few friends at work, who walked over and said, "My, My. What's gotten into you today. You're glowing. Did you find a good man last night?"

The brown haired girl looked at her friend and giggled. "I'll leave that to your imagination," she said, taking her coffee and heading to her desk.

"Mitsuki," the girl whined after her friend. "Come on, spill it."

The girl with the coffee, turned to her friend and mouthed, "I'll tell you later." She waved and walked to her desk in front of Sachiko's office. The office was still dark. _'Thank. God. She's not here yet,'_ she thought, sitting down and taking a sip of coffee, before dealing with the various bits of work left over from yesterday afternoon.

Mitsuki had just finished emailing the paperwork promoting Misono Hoshi to be the new manager at the Osaka branch, following Sachiko's termination of his boss, when her boss came in. "Good Morning, Sachiko-sama," she said as the heiress approached. She handed the woman some slips of paper. "Here are your messages, and Misono-san's paperwork is waiting in your In box, for your digital signature. I'll be right in with your tea." The heiress nodded in assent and entered her office. Mitsuki stood up and went to the break room to start a pot of tea for her boss.

Sachiko turned on the lights when she entered her office, and strode to her desk. She sat down and typed her password into her computer and looked at the stacks of messages her assistant gave her, organizing them by priority. Before making her return calls, she opened the email and approved the promotion. Just then Mitsuki came in carrying a teapot. The woman placed the tray down on the side table, poured a cup and brought it over to the young executive.

Sachiko looked at the younger girl. There was something different about her today. Mitsuki seemed happier, more relaxed, more confident. For some reason this irritated the heiress. She looked over her assistant and noticed the girl's lipstick was a little smeared around the corner of her mouth. "You might want to fix your lipstick," Sachiko stated coldly. "You must always be conscious of your appearance, Mitsu-chan."

"Maria-sama is watching, after all," the young assistant said without thinking. Mitsuki instantly regretted it as soon as the words came out of her mouth. _'What was I thinking,' _she chided herself,.

But before she had a chance to apologize for being flippant, Sachiko looked questioningly at the girl. "I don't remember reading in your personnel records that you attended Lillian," the heiress commented.

"I didn't," the brown-haired assist and responded.

"It was just an odd statement. Only someone familiar with the school would have responded that way. I just ..." the heiress said, lost in thought for a second. "Never mind, Mitsu-chan. Go take care of your make up. I'll call you when I need you."

"Yes, Sachiko-sama," Mitsuki said, and turned to go.

Sachiko watched Mitsuki's hair flip and noticed the white hair ribbons. There was something familiar about them that she couldn't put her finger on. 'Focus, Sachiko,' she told herself and bent down to look at yesterday's financial reports.

Mitsuki wiped off and reapplied her lipstick. _ 'Stupid, Stupid,'_ she chastised herself. _ 'I should have looked in the mirror after Yumi kissed me.' _ The thought of the beautiful angel she spent the night with, caused a small smile to come across her lips. She twirled happily, exited the bathroom, and walked on clouds all the way to her desk. She sat down and wondered about the woman who captured her heart in one night,

_'Maria-sama = Lillian,'_ she mused over Sachiko-sama's words from earlier. To Mitsuki, Lillian was a school of ojousamas, daughters of politicians and company presidents went there. So if Yumi attended that school, then the woman who treated her like a precious ojousamas last night was in fact an ojousama herself. That thought made Mitsuki wonder even more. _'What would such a woman want with a lowly person like me.' _ Her woolgathering was cut short, when a stack of files were placed on her desk. She turned her attention to them, and prepared to summarize them for her boss.

XxX

Yumi was walking on air, as she skipped down the street toward the cleaners, carrying Mitsuki's suit. Today was the first day in a long time that her heart felt light. She was certain this feeling wouldn't last, but vowed to make the most of it while it did. After she dropped off tne cleaning, she decided to kill time by doing a little window shopping and maybe even get tea and cake.

_'I haven't felt this connected to someone since...' _she started but then stopped herself. _'Don't go there Yumi,'_ she ordered herself, and started thinking more about the lovely flower who shared her bed. _ 'Ah Mitsu. What did I do right, that caused you and I to cross paths last night,'_ she wondered. If her old friends saw her now, how her eyes sparkled, they would be rejoicing over the return of the Yumi they knew and loved. Just then, her phone rang.

Thinking it was Mitsuki calling, she didn't check the caller id. "Hello Ojousama," she said cheerily into the phone. "Your wish is my command."

"Why thank you, Yumi," Arisu responded chuckling. "So you finally realized my true nature."

"Oh, Arisu," she said with embarrassment. "Sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"And who might this someone be, that has made you so distracted," he asked.

"Just a girl I met last night," Yumi answered.

"You're such a player, Yumi," the blonde teased. "How many woman have you been through so far."

"How should I know, I don't keep track," the brunette shot back.

"Whatever," he said. "I don't care as long as you don't lose sight of our goal. I need you to go on a job interview tomorrow."

"A job interview," Yumi asked quizzically. "For what?"

"Medical receptionist," Arisu answered. "Over at the fertility clinic. You have to get the job."

"Why?"

"It seems your old girlfriend and her husband are having some problems," the blond told Yumi. "We need to get a copy of her file, and any lab results. I have an idea we could use the information to our advantage."

"OK, I'll do it," Yumi agreed, and hund up the phone.

XxX

* * *

Author's Notes:

I really want to thank all of you who are still reading this story of mine. If you haven't already, drop a PM or review and let me know what you think.

Take Care All


	7. Chapter 7

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 7

For the umpteenth time tonight, Mitsuki found herself getting irritated as she looked over at the two girls interrogating Yumi. It had seemed like it would be a fun outing when her friend Nanako suggested that she and her partner, Mariko accompany Mitsuki and Yumi, turning it into a double date.

**** FLASHBACK ****

"Can't we do it another time," Yumi told Mitsuki over the phone, when the girl called her up to make plans for the night. "I just want us to spend some time alone together."

"Come on," Mitsuki pleaded. "I told Nanako all about you during lunch today, and she wants to meet you. It's your fault for sending me to work glowing. Take responsibility for it."

"OK, OK," Yumi acceded, giggling. "I get it. Ojousama wants to show her new toy off."

"That's not it," the office worker argued. "It'll be more like an interrogation. Nanako probably wants to make sure your intentions are pure. She's very protective."

"Then I'll be on my best behavior," the girl on the other end promised. "When and where?"

Mitsuki gave Yumi the name and address of the restaurant she and Nanako agreed to over lunch. "It's only dinner,"she said. "We can be alone afterward."

"I'll see you there," Yumi said, hanging up the phone.

**** END FLASHBAVK ****

'Only dinner' had turned into a full blown night out, when Mariko suggested they all go out dancing at a 'Girls Only' club that she and Nanako went to often. Mitsuki had tried to beg off, so her and Yumi could have some time alone, but a judicious use of guilt applied by Nanako, caused Mitsuki to cave, and when she looked at Yumi for agreement the girl just smiled and said, "As Ojousama wishes."

This comment caused Nanako to slap Mariko and ask, "Why don't you talk to me like that?"

And that's what led them here, to this booth, where Mitsuki was getting irritated. _'That's it,'_ she thought to herself. _ 'I'm going to dance with my date.' _ She slid out of the booth and went over to Yumi and said boldly, "Dance with me."

Yumi looked into her date's eyes and extended a hand. "Then let's dance, Ojousama." When Mitsuki's hand clasped hers she pulled the woman out on the dance floor. "I was wondering how long it would take you to get fed up and rescue me," she told her partner.

"You brat," Mitsuki said, taking a swat at her lover. "You could have saved yourself anytime."

"But they're Mitsu's friends," Yumi said with a pout. "I didn't want to appear rude. Now show me your moves, Ojousama" she took Mitsuki's hands, spun her around, and held her dates back to her chest.

The combination of the heavy bass, and Yumi's seductive moves, had an effect on her causing Mistuki's body to heat up and her mind melt. Her rational mind left as she grabbed the back of Yumi's head, and forcibly kissed the woman she was dancing with. "Take me home now, or I'll ravish you right here," Mitsuki said in a husky voice, as she caressed Yumi's behind, and gave it a fierce squeeze.

Yumi swallowed hard as she looked at the fire of desire in Mitsuki's eyes. She was pleasantly shocked at this development, since normally she was the aggressor in her relationships. Feeling very aroused, she leaned over and kissed Mitsuki just as fiercely as her partner did to her. "Shall we go home then."

"To my place," Mitsu told her woman.

The two women went back to the table, collected their things, and said good bye to Nanako and Mariko. Once outside they took a taxi to Mitsuki's apartment.

XxX

Suguru couldn't remember how many nights he had watched the scene in front of him unfold. His wife was in the middle of the attic waltzing with an invisible partner, and for all appearances in deep conversation with it. On a table in the corner was strewn various pictures and other items, precious mementos of the girl who made Sachiko whole. He thought back to the first incident that happened on his wedding night.

**** FLASHBACK ****

The consummation of their marriage left both partners very unsatisfied. Suguru had used all his mental prowess imagining various scenes in order keep himself aroused and finally complete the act. Sachiko had it easier, all she had to do was lay there and put up with the weight on top of her as her husband's member thrust in and out of her. After he was done, he rolled off his wife, and lay next to her, breathing heavy, due to his exertions.

"I'm going to wash up now," the heiress stated coldly. "If you're finished, you can leave. Good Night." She strode off to the bathroom. The dark haired man got out of the bed, picked his lounge pants off the floor, and slid them up his legs. He took one pained look over at the closed bathroom door, and left the room.

Suguru poured himself a glass of whiskey, and sat down in the comfortable armchair in the corner of his room. _'Is this what you really wanted, Sa-chan,'_ he thought, remembering Sachiko's cold dead eyes when they had sex. _ 'A life without love or happiness. All you had to do was fight, and you could have realized your dream. All that's left now is a nightmare.'_ He finished his drink and sat staring into space.

Suguru must have dozed off, because the next think he remembered was his maid shaking him awake. "Master, Master. Wake up. The Mistress..."

The dark haired man woke with a start. "Sa-chan," he exclaimed.

"Come quickly," the made said, dragging him out of the seat by his arm, and leading him out of the room. He followed the hurrying figure in front of him,down the hall and up the flight of narrow stairs leading to the attic. The door was open in front of him, and inside the room Sachiko was kneeling in front of an open cardboard box, weeping, and wailing. She was holding something close to her chest.

As he entered the room, and moved closer to his wife, he got a better look at the items in the box. It was filled with pictures, stuffed animals, various odds and ends of jewelry, letters and notes banded together. He also heard snatches of words mixed in between the heiress' heavy sobs.

"... it had to be that way. Yumi. ..."

"... so sorry. Please forgive me ..."

" ... horrible thing I've done ..."

"... just don't hate me ..."

"... I can't go on without you." With those let words, Sachiko shot up and jumped over the box on the floor. She ran and slammed open the french doors leading to a small balcony surrounded by a rail. Suguru chased after her but when he arrived at the balcony, Sachiko was already balanced on the railing. "I can't live like this. Good bye, my love," she shouted and let her body fall forward...

... and was snatched back by Suguru's arms around her waist. He hit the floor with his back, a struggling Sachiko landing on top of him. He managed to turn his wife around, and held her in comforting arms, rocking her gently, as she cried herself to sleep against his shoulder.

When Sachiko was finally asleep, her stood up, and lifted her from the ground. As he passed the distraught maid, he instructed her to have someone seal and chain the french doors, and nail shut all the other attic windows. He carried the sleeping woman down the narrow stairs and saw her tucked neatly away in her bed. He picked up a chair and placed it in front of the bedroom door and sat down, watching the heiress sleep.

"What kind of pervert are you, watching me sleep." A flying pillow, and harsh words awoke the young man the next morning. "And what are you doing camped out in front of the door so no one can leave?"

"I was watching over you so we didn't have another incident last night," Suguru answered.

"What kind of incident," Sachiko inquired.

"Don't you remember? You tried to throw yourself off the attic balcony last night."

"What!?" The heiress snorted. "I did no such thing," she stated in disbelief. "Why would I do something like that?"

"You were all upset about our marriage, and said you couldn't live without Yumi-chan."

"Who's Yumi-chan," Sachiko asked with a voice that told Suguru, his wife had no clue who he was talking about.

"Wait here," he said and left the room for a minute, returning with a photo of him, Sachiko, Yukki, and Yumi that was taken at the amusement park after Sachiko's graduation. He pointed to the girl in pigtails. "That's Yumi. Your petit soeur."

"I took Touko-chan as my petit soeur when she was just a first year," the heiress stated as a matter of fact. "That's a picture of us, one of your friends and his sister. I know no one named Yumi."

Suguru could tell she was telling the truth, as she believed it.

**** END FLASHBACK ****

Suguru looked at the dancing woman and smiled a sad smile, For even though Fukuzawa Yumi didn't live in Sachiko's conscious mind, her precious memory lived on in the woman's subconscious.

XxX

Arisu looked at himself in the three panel, full length mirror, next to his closet. _ 'God, I look gorgeous,'_ he thought eying the beautiful girl looking back at him from the glass. He sighed sadly, knowing that he could never truly be the person he was meant to be. At least not in public. That was part of the personal price he paid toward revenge.

When Yumi first proposed the idea of getting back at Sachiko and Suguru, it was more a wish than a plan. Neither of them had any idea of how to accomplish the task, all they wanted was to make their two enemies pay dearly.

On the day following their promise to each other, the two conspirators brainstormed ideas of how to exact their revenge. As the ideas flowed between them, it became apparent that in order to accomplish their goal, they would need money, a lot of it. Yumi immediately offered up the 100 million yen, which amounted close to 1 million dollars US.

It was a good start, but it wasn't enough to see them through to the end. Especially since Yumi would be using some of it for her education in the States. So they set aside their plans for immediate satisfaction, in favor of a long term plan, to be fleshed out when they were in a better financial position. So they decided to continue on with their education, and reevaluate their position afterward.

In his last year of college, opportunity came knocking on Arisu's door. He was exposed to the struggling software company through his current lover Kenji, whose father owned it. The company specialized in enterprise level business applications. The software itself was solid, but the company's marketing and support department were weak, so they were losing market share to their competitors. Arisu could get the small company cheap, but even with Yumi's nest egg, he needed to get his hands on more capital, especially if he wanted to strengthen the weaker parts.

The young man was sure he could turn this company around and make it very profitable, so he called Yumi in America, and laid out his plan for the company. She agreed to invest her savings, which had doubled, due to a lucky investment she made, provided he was able to secure the rest of the capital. Not knowing where else to go, he decided to make a deal with the devil, his mother.

The devil was in a very generous mood, and agreed to give Arisu the money outright, provided the boy met the conditions she imposed. The first was the easiest, the company name had to reflect the family. Second, he had to become a true son of the family and give up his fantasy of becoming a true girl and get married to a woman of his choice within ten years, if Arisu failed to choose a wife in that time, one would be chosen for him. He agonized over the last condition, before conceding. If losing his freedom was the price he had to pay for his vengeance, then he would pay it. He felt Yukki would expect no less.

With the price paid, and the agreement signed, Arisu and Yumi became owners of Kintarou Software. Over the next year, he expanded the services to include: full turn-key installations and the full gamut of business consulting. After the next year, it became a major player in the industry.

He looked at the clock and sighed again. He took off the cocktail dress, hung it up neatly, washed the makeup off his face and got ready for bed.

XxX

Yumi closed the door behind her as she followed her date into the apartment. As soon as the door clicked, Yumi found herself pushed up against it, with Mitsuki's hands pushing her shoulders into the wood. The girl's head moved closer, and captured her lips in a fierce, passionate kiss. Yumi placed her hands on her lovers hips, and pulled them into hers, causing Mitsuki to gasp and lose her balance slightly so Yumi could push off the door.

Yumi spun and suddenly the tables were reversed, with Mitsuki pressed face first into the door, while Yumi's hand reached around, and found itself under the blouse and against the smooth skin of the woman's stomach. She ran her finger tips lightly up an down Mitsuki's front. She then released the front clasp, freeing the girls well rounded breast.

Mitsuki moaned as Yumi teased a nipple, rolling it between thumb and forefinger, before moving on to her other breast. All the while Yumi nuzzled her neck and nibbled on her ear lobe. She felt the heat rising up from her center, and moved her own hand down between her legs, lifting the mid length shirt so she could gain access to her most precious place. Her hand slid into her already damp panties, fingers searching out that one button that would bring her over the edge. When she found it, a wave of intense pleasure washed over her, causing her knees to buckle. She would have fallen had Yumi not been there to hold her up.

Yumi slowly guided Mitsuki down to the floor, the girl's chest heaving. She wrapped her arm around Mitsu's shoulders, and cuddled her. She left a soft kiss on the woman's head and chucked. "I guess you couldn't wait for me."

"Not when you leave me sitting there jealous as you flirt with my friends," Mitsuki said with a mock pout.

"I was just talking to them," Yumi explained. "They're fun to talk to."

You were flirting, and don't go denying it," she said, teasingly. "I know what I saw."

"I was not," Yumi said, with mock indignation.

"Then how much of a player are you," Mitsuki shot back, leaning harder against her lover. "When you flirt without realizing it." With a shove, she pushed Yumi down on the floor, pinning the girl down by her hands. She leaned over Yumi and brought her head down to her partners neck, running her tongue along the artery.

This caused Yumi to purr, then moan as Mitsuki suckled at her ear lobe. "You like that, Yumi," the woman on top whispered in a sexy voice.

"Mmmmmmm," was the only thing Yumi was able to reply, as she felt her face and body heat up, and the cleft between her legs getting wetter. Her body started squirming between her companions legs.

Mitsuki, pushed herself up so she was able to look Yumi directly in the eyes. "From now on, the only person you're allowed to flirt with is me," she said firmly before leaning over to capture Yumi's lips yet again.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thank you for taking the time to visit this humble chapter. I have a busy weekend ahead of me so I am not sure when I'll be able to work on the next chapter. I hope to update middle of the week. Thanks again.


	8. Chapter 8

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 8

Yumi splashed some water on her face, and looked in the mirror. _'Who knew that Mitsuki could be such an animal,'_ she thought, as she examined the red love bites that dotted her upper chest and neck. _'Looks like I'll have to wear a turtleneck to my interview.'_ The brunette let out a satisfied sigh. The last person who had treated her so roughly in bed was Sachiko.

Yumi smiled a bittersweet smile when she thought of the black haired heiress. Being with Mitsuki had changed her. Her heart no longer cracked when she thought of her former love, and it was full of joy when she considered her new lover sleeping soundly in the next room. She collected the clothes that the two of them had strewn across the apartment, during their 'battle' the night before.

She separated the pile of clothes in her hands, put on her own, and placed her lover's on the dresser, neatly folded. She found some paper and a pen, in the desk, so she wrote a quick note to the sleeping girl, and left it on the bed. Yumi then leaned over the bed, and gave the girl a soft kiss on the cheek. "Have a good day, darling," the brunette's whispered, before leaving the bedroom and apartment.

The sleeping girl stirred and stretched, as the door clicked shut. "Yumi," she called out dreamily as she stretched again. Her hand brushed against the paper on the bed, and Mitsuki sat up, taking the paper with her. She turned on the light, wiped sleep from her eyes, and read the note:

Dearest,  
I have to go see about a job this morning, so I left early. You looked so cute sleeping. I didn't have the heart to wake you. Last night was wonderful. I'll be thinking about it all day. Give me a call later, and we'll get together.  
Yumi.

_'It certainly was wonderful,' _the girl in bed thought, hugging herself, and flopped back down on the mattress. She couldn't help but remember Yumi's voice screaming her name in the throes of pleasure, as she brought her lover over the edge many times. She also remembered how sweet and vulnerable Yumi looked sleeping, when she had looked over at the girl sometime in the night.

Mitsuki looked at the clock. It was still early for her to be up, but not early enough to go back to sleep. She decided to take her time getting ready for work. She didn't want this relaxed, satisfied feeling to end. After a leisurely soak, she dressed, and made herself buttered toast. While she ate she took out her phone and sent a quick text message.

As she boarded the bus that took her to work, Mitsuki had one other thought,_ 'Damn it! With everything that went on last night, I never found out if she went to Lillian or not.'_

XxX

Yumi got out of the shower, dried herself, and put on her terry cloth robe which was hanging on the back of the door. She walked over to her closet and picked out some suitable clothes for her upcoming interview at the fertility clinic. The brunette decided on a cream colored suit, and a white turtleneck sweater. Just as she was about to get dressed she heard her phone chirp, signaling a new text message:

"Don't forget. You belong to me now. - Mitsu"

After reading the message, Yumi wasn't about to let herself be one upped by her lover. _ 'I'll give her something to think about all day,'_ she thought, smirking. She let the robe fall to the floor, turned her phone around and took a picture of her face and chest. She sent the photo back to Mitsuki, with a message: "Don't you wish you were here." She giggled and put the phone down on her dresser, and took out her underwear. she hummed quietly to herself as she got ready for her upcoming interview.

When she arrived at the clinic, she walked through the door and up to the reception window. "Excuse me," she said to the young, frazzled woman sitting in front of the computer terminal.

The young girl looked up. "Please bear with me a moment," she replied. "I'm just a temporary and it is taking me a while to learn this system. I'll be with you shortly."

Yumi glanced at the screen, and noticed they were using Mediplex, one of Kintarou Software's line of medical suites, although it was an older version that didn't have a very user friendly interface like the newest one. "If you hit F2, you should be able to call up the searching functions," she suggested to the temp, whose eyes lit up when she hit the indicated key, and the search interface came up onto her screen.

"Thank you," the younger girl said with gratitude. "Now what can I do for you?"

"I'd like to speak to the office manager about a job you have open," Yumi replied.

The young girl gave the brunette a cold, unhappy look, knowing that her chances of this job becoming permanent just went down the drain. "If you wait here a minute, I'll see if she's free." The temp got up and went into the back. She returned a minute later with a middle aged woman.

"I'm Shinozaki Misaki, the office manager here," the lady introduced herself. " You wanted to speak to me about a job?"

Yumi bowed respectfully. "Thank you for taking the time to speak to me, Shinozaki-san," she said politely. "I'm Furukaza Ume, I was wondering if you needed a medical receptionist. I'm completely familiar with the Mediplex suite, and I am a diligent worker. If you have a moment, I could tell you more about my qualifications."

"Why don't we go back to my office, and we'll discuss it, Furukaza-san." The office manager opened the door to the waiting room, allowing Yumi to enter.

The brunette followed the older woman down the hall and into a small office, where she was offered a seat. Shinozaki-san asked Yumi about her personal information, education and prior work history. Yumi answered the first two areas using the canned information Arisu had created for her identity as Ume. The employment history, she made up on the fly, giving the woman a special contact number that her co-conspirator, set up that would go directly to him, so he could back fill any information Yumi had provided her interviewer.

At the end of her interview, the older lady smiled. "Well, Ume-san, you certainly are qualified for the position," she stated. "And have the right personality to go along with it. When would you like to start?"

"As soon as possible, Shinozaki-san," the brunette replied.

"We could certainly use you," the woman said. "Why don't you go across the street and get a coffee or something. I'll verify your information now, and if everything checks out, you can start today."

Yumi stood up and bowed. "Thank you very much," she said. "When should I expect your call?"

"Give me about an hour," the office manager responded.

"Very well." Yumi turned and left the office smiling. She headed for the cafe across the street, and got herself a bite to eat.

XxX

Mitsuki was having a hard time focusing on her work. Every now and then she would reach for her phone and secretly peek at the topless picture Yumi sent her. She squeezed her legs together as she admired her lover's image. While most people would have considered Yumi's breasts small, their size actually suited the woman's petite frame. She was neither top heavy, nor boy chested, and this pleased Mitsuki to no end.

It wasn't just the picture that caused the office worker to be in such a state, but her memories of the previous night played a large part also. She was stupefied by her actions of yesterday. Never before had she felt such animalistic passions, nor had been as aggressive with a partner before. In fact she didn't even realize how much, until she noticed the bruising around Yumi's neck and chest. She sighed and turned off the phone. _'Time to get some work done,'_ she vowed to herself.

Mitsuki pulled another file out of Sachiko's in-box, and looked at the clock. _ 'Three more hours to go,'_ she thought, in anticipation of seeing Yumi again that night. She opened the file. It was the investigative report the company had run on Kagami Ritsuko, the lead engineer on the Nakamura project. She started reading the details of the report, in order to give Sachiko a concise summary.

The report indicated nothing out of the ordinary about the engineer's finances. There were no large deposits or withdrawals that would indicate bribery or blackmail. It also noted from interviews with co workers, that Ritsuko was solitary individual, who didn't have many friends outside of work, and didn't socialize with those co workers much. However, one person interviewed did say that they had seen the woman in the company of a young brunette on a couple of occasions.

The investigators did note that Ritsuko's companion had yet to be found and interviewed. It was their belief that the young brunette may have been hired to perform corporate espionage, in regards to the Nakamura project, and the investigators had been having a hard time getting any information about the possible spy, not even a name. They couldn't even find any photos of this 'mystery' woman, when they broke in and sifted through Ritsuko's personal effects.

They did however manage to obtain some blurry photographs from the apartment complex's security cameras, showing a woman leaving the complex about four in the morning, a half an hour before the incident occurred. The investigators included the photos in the report.

Mitsuki turned the page and looked at the security pictures. Even though they were dark and blurry, something about the figure with the boyish hair seemed familiar to the office worker. The shape of her head. The way the woman carried herself. It was almost as if she knew this 'mystery' woman, somehow. It wasn't until she took a break from looking at the report, and turned on her phone that it hit her.

'_Yumi,'_ she thought questioningly. She took the security photo and held it next to her phone. The shape of the woman in the picture, almost exactly matched that on the photo of her lover. Mitsuki's heart dropped into her stomach when she made the connection. '_It can't be. Yumi seems so nice and honest. She can't be a corporate spy. I must be imagining things. But if she is, wouldn't I be a prime target, being Sachiko-sama's personal assistant.'_

The last thought led her to the decision that she should at least ask her lover straight out about the picture. If nothing else to have Yumi refute it so there would be no doubt in her own mind about her relationship. She folded up the picture in her hand, and put it in her pocket to show Yumi after work. She continued on with her work after putting the investigation file at the bottom of her stack.

As the hours wore on, Mitsuki analyzed her interactions with Yumi over the last two days, looking for anything odd that would tell her if she was just being overly suspicious of her new lover. Yumi said she was between jobs. It wasn't that strange in this economy, but if the girl's previous 'job' was Kagami Ritsuko then that might be a problem. Yumi didn't talk about her past, the office worker had assumed that was because it was painful, but what if Yumi had no past to talk about.

Mitsuki wondered also about Yumi's finances. _ 'If she is in between jobs, wouldn't she be better off if she didn't spend money like a drunken sailor.'_ Between picking up the check for yesterday's dinner, the drinks at the bar the last two nights, and the movie date, Yumi had dropped a sizable amount of money.

_'On top of all that, I don't even know her last name,' _Mitsuki added in her head. _'But in all honesty, she doesn't know mine either. After that kiss, it was hard to start over and introduce ourselves properly. But there is something odd about her. If Yumi isn't the spy, then she's hiding something else.'_

XxX

Yumi was in between patients, and looking up Sachiko's patient record in the system. 'They really need to upgrade,' she thought, irritated at the absence of the new graphical design. _ 'I'll get Arisu to have someone from sales to visit after I'm gone.'_ She memorized Sachiko's file number for future reference. _'Maybe I'll have the salesman suggest the Electronic Document add on also.' _She called up the page on outstanding labs. The results from the heiress' latest tests would be available tomorrow.

Her phone chirped, signaling an incoming text message. She smiled when she saw it was from Mitsuki. It read: "Need to see you. Call me."

Yumi was busy covering the front window, so she couldn't talk to her lover right then. She replied to the text message: "I get off in an hour. Meet me for dinner." The brunette also added the name and address of the cafe across the street. She put her phone back in her pocket and took care of a person just walking up to the window.

Mitsuki was sitting in the cafe at a sear by the window. When she found the place, she was surprised that it's location was just across the street from the fertility clinic Sachiko was a patient at. The office worker didn't know where Yumi was now working, but felt that this meeting location was suspicious. She looked at her watch. _ 'Five more minutes and I should have some answers,'_ she thought. Her mind had known no peace since it started down this road of conspiracy, projecting many different outcomes, all of which didn't boost her confidence in Yumi.

She took a sip of coffee, and looked out the window. _ 'Why am I not surprised,'_ Mitsuki asked herself when she saw the petite brunette walk out of the clinic and cross the street, heading toward the cafe. _'Yumi had better have a good explanation for this,'_ she thought as her mind started dismissing any idea that her lover might be innocent.

Yumi entered the cafe, and took a seat across from Mitsuki, giving her a loving smile. The waitress came over and she ordered herself a coffee. She looked at her companions troubled expression and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Mitsuki stayed silent and regarded the woman across from her. The waitress brought Yumi coffee and left, before she spoke. "Do you know a Kagami Ritsuko?"

The unexpected question surprised Yumi, who responded, "Eh! What? Why do you ask?"

"Just answer the question," Mitsuki said, coldly.

"I know her," Yumi stated. "We met during my last job. We went out a couple times. What's going on here?"

Mitsuki took out the picture she obtained from the file and showed it to the woman across from her. "Then is that you leaving her apartment complex at four in the morning? Why did you leave so early, Yumi?"

"That was my last night there," the accused replied indignantly. "I had to catch an early train back to Tokyo."

"And it just happened to be the same morning Nakamura Bio-Tech suffered catastrophic data loss, that resulted in destroying Kagami-san's project,"

"What's with the third degree? Mitsu, if there's something you want to know, just ask. Quit playing games," Yumi shot back.

"OK then," Mitsuki said in a serious tone. "Did you cozy up to Kagami Ritsuko, in order to steal her research, and sabotage her project?"

Yumi stayed silent, and gazed into the eyes of the woman across from her. She was in a tight spot. She didn't want to lie to Mitsuki, and neither did she want to admit her involvement with Nakamura Bio-Tech. "Why do you need to know," she asked softly.

"Because I need to know if you're playing me, too," the office worker said with watery eyes. "If you used her to get what you want, what makes me any different. I'm Ogasawara Sachiko's personal assistant, after all, and privy to the Group's secrets."

Yumi's jaw dropped at Mitsuki's admission. She inwardly cursed at her bad luck. Of all the girls she could have fallen in love with, it had to be the one across from her, and at the worst possible time. "This has nothing to do with what I feel for you, Mitsu," she explained. "Up until you told me now, I didn't even know you knew Sachiko, let alone worked for her."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth," Yumi said. "What can I say to get you to believe me? Ask me anything. I can't and won't lie to you."

"For starters, what's your real name?"

"It's Yumi. Fukuzawa Yumi."

Mitsuki looked into Yumi's wide brown eyes. _'Can I trust that,'_ she asked herself, decided Yumi had nothing to hide at this point, and accepted the answer. "Why did you steal the plans?"

"Revenge," Yumi replied coldly. "Revenge on the two people who ruined my life and took my brother away from me, Sachiko and Suguru. I detest them both." The petite girl went on to explain about Yukki's suicide. Then she told Mitsuki about her relationship with Sachiko, and how it ended . "And if it wasn't for a good friend showing up unannounced, I'd probably be laying next to my brother."

Mitsuki looked at Yumi's watery eyes, after reliving the two most painful events of her life, and felt a pang in her heart over the other girl's pain, but she couldn't relent on her inquisition. "Why are you working at the fertility clinic?"

"To get Sachiko's records," Yumi said. "There might be information in them I can use against her or Suguru."

Mitsuki finally asked the question she most wanted to know the answer to. "Why me?"

"You were never a part of this," Yumi said emphatically. "I never wanted you to be a part of this. For the first time in five years I have met someone who has opened my heart, and taught me to love again. That person is you, Mitsuki. I'm in love with you."

"I'm finding it hard to believe you, Yumi," Mitsuki responded. "You have vowed revenge on Ogasawara Sachiko. You have done things to try and bring her down. I am close to her as her personal assistant. Yet you say you love me and I am not a target. What would you do if I stood in the path of your revenge? Would you destroy me too?"

"I would never harm you," Yumi replied. "Believe what you want."

"I don't know if I can trust you, anymore," Mitsuki said sadly. "I am not even sure if we can ever be together again. They know what you look like now. It won't be long until they find you. It could be bothersome for me, if they knew that I had contact with you."

"Why don't you just quit, and come with me," Yumi begged. "I have more than enough money to take care of us both, and once I have my revenge, we can disappear somewhere, together."

"I can't, Yumi. I owe them another two years on my contract. I'm too honorable to leave a debt behind."

"Sachiko and Suguru are not the kind people you think they are," Yumi argued. "They think only of themselves. They'll use you until you aren't needed anymore, then dispose of you. Trust me. I'm the prime example."

"We can't be together anymore," Mitsuki said, holding back her tears.

Yumi sat back, defeated, and wiped her own eyes. "I understand, Mitsuki," Yumi stated. "I only wish things had worked out. I am vacating my apartment and getting rid of my phone, so you won't be able to contact me directly." She took out a piece of paper, wrote something on it, and gave it to the girl. "If you are in trouble, or change your mind. Call that number. It is an anonymous voice mail box that I check on a regular basis. Leave a message and I'll get back to you when I can. Take care of yourself Mitsuki." Yumi stood up, left some bills on the table, and walked toward the door.

After Yumi left, Mitsuki let go of her tears.

XxX

Yumi went back to her apartment and packed her clothes and the few personal items she owned, into two suitcases. Over the past five years, she had not lived anywhere long enough to put down roots, so she didn't have the clutter a normal person would accumulate over the years. She looked around the apartment sadly. She actually had started thinking about settling in and starting a life with Mitsuki. 'That's one more thing I owe you for Sachiko.' she thought angrily.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Sorry I am a bit late updating. I was hoping to finish this chapter yesterday, but things came up and I couldn't. Thanks for being patient with me. As always feel free to review or PM.

Thank you for reading.


	9. Chapter 9

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 9

Yumi sighed as she played with the omelet in front of her. It wasn't as if it was bad. Quite the contrary, the chefs at Arisu's house were among the best. The brunette simply had no appetite. The break up with Mitsuki left her out of sorts and a little depressed.

"Come on Yumi," the blonde across from her said. "Snap out of it. She's just another girl after all. You'll find someone else soon enough."

"Mitsuki was different, Arisu," the brunette replied. "She was special. Nobody else had made me feel so complete, so happy, since ..."

"... Sachiko. I know," the young man said with irritation. "Just put one foot in front of the other, and focus on our work. The joy we'll feel when we put those two in their place will more than make up for any sadness along the way. Who knows, maybe this Mitsuki will change her mind, once she thinks about things. It hasn't even been a day yet."

"I guess," Yumi responded, looking her companion in the eyes. "I just have to keep the faith."

"That's right," Arisu said. "Now eat. I don't need you getting sick because you're not taking care of yourself."

Yumi stabbed a piece of omelet viciously, and brought it to her mouth. "Happy now," she said in a sarcastic tone, after swallowing.

"That's my girl," the blond laughed, watching the brunette stab another piece, and eat it mechanically.

XxX

The girl with the ponytail, got off the bus, and walked down the street toward the fertility clinic, where she worked. Yumi had put her hair up as a precaution. The picture Mitsuki showed her last evening, didn't show her features, being so blurry, but the hair style was the most prominent attribute shown. So to be on the safe side, she tied her hair with one lone black ribbon in the back, which gave her a different silhouette.

She walked into the office and greeted the nurses and technicians with a cheery 'Good Morning,' even though cheery was the last thing she wanted to feel. She sat down at her station by the counter and called up the days appointments, and started pulling their patient files. This wasn't done to make her life easier, but as a cover for pulling Sachiko's file, so she had it handy when the latest labs came in, and she could fax the records to a secret fax machine located in Arisu's office.

She arranged them neatly on her desktop, with Sachiko's on the bottom. Just as she settled herself in her chair, a young fresh faced girl approached her, blushing and holding a cup of coffee in her hands. _'What was her name again,'_ she asked herself, turning to face the girl. "How can I help you, Sae-chan? Isn't it," the brunette asked, giving the younger girl a winning smile.

Sae-chan blushed redder. "Um," she started nervously. "I-I saw you working so hard since you walked in, and you haven't had anything, so I brought you a coffee." The young girl's hands trembled as she passed over the cup to the brunette.

"Thank you, Sae-chan," Yumi said, taking a sip of the offering. Her eyes gleamed as she tasted it. "Perfect. Just the way I like it. How did you know?"

Sae-chan turned beet red at the question. "I'm sorry," she said timidly, looking at her feet. "I overheard your order at the cafe yesterday, after work." Yumi must have made a sour face, because Sae quickly added, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I was just interested in how you liked your coffee, so I could do something nice for you. I think you're really nice, and I wanted to have a reason to talk to you."

Yumi smiled gently on the rambling girl. "It's fine Sae-chan. I'm really flattered you feel that way. Thank you for the coffee."

"Your welcome," Sae responded happily. "If there's anything else I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask."

The brunette nodded at the young girl, taking another sip of the coffee, before turning around to face the front window. _ 'Stay away, Sae-chan,'_ she thought at the retreating girl. _'Don't give me a chance to crush that precious heart of yours.'_

Yumi spent the rest of the morning taking care of incoming patients, and some light data entry work. A little before noon, a courier came in and passed her a couple of envelopes which she signed for. She opened the lab results and placed them in a pile in front of her. She kept Sachiko's separate, then picked up the heiress' file from the bottom of the stack on her side.

She placed the lab slip on top the file folder, then added the records release, she had prepared earlier complete with Sachiko's signature. A talent she had learned years ago when she had to sign the heiress' name to Yamayurikai paperwork, and painstakingly perfected over the past five years for such an eventuality.

She took the pile and spun around in her chair. She spied Sae-chan looking at her expectantly. _'Was I ever that eager,'_ she asked herself, deciding to give the girl a chance to be helpful. "Sae-chan, do you have a moment?"

The young girl nearly fell over herself, as she rushed over to the brunette. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Yumi nodded, smiling at the girl. "If you would, could you fax these to Dr Yamamoto. The number is on the release form. When you're done, could you also put the file back, and put the lab results in the doctor's box. It would really be a help."

"I'd be happy to, Ume-san," she replied taking the pile from Yumi and heading happily toward the fax machine.

Yumi turned back around, collected the remaining pile of lab results, and walked them over to the tray marked 'Lab Results.' She walked back to her desk, and sat down to take care of another person waiting at the reception window.

On a break, Yumi checked her voice mail drop box, hoping she'd hear the voice of the woman she loved. She sighed when there were no messages, hung up and pocketed her phone. She was angry. Angry at Sachiko for dumping her. Angry at Suguru for taking her brother away. Angry at Arisu for spurring her on. But most of all she was angry at herself for allowing outside forces to change her into the cold, manipulative, unethical woman she was now.

Yumi had enough. _ 'When I see Arisu tonight, I am going to tell him I'm through with it all, and do what I need to do to get Mitsuki back.'_ After making her vow, her heart became lighter.

XxX

"Mitsuki, what's going on with you today," Nanako asked her friend midway through the morning. "You've been walking around like a zombie since you got to work. Did you get a little too much action last night?"

Mitsuki turned away to hide the pain in her eyes. "None of your business," she replied coldly, and focused on the report in front of her.

Nanako spun the chair around forcibly until the sitting woman was facing her. "Where do you get off saying things like that," she said hands on her hips. "You're my closest friend. If something is bothering you, it affects me too. Did something happen between you and Yumi?"

Mitsuki's eyes clouded over, and she stayed silent.

"It did. Didn't it," Nanako accused. "If that woman broke your heart, I swear I'll ..."

"It wasn't her," Mitsuki interrupted. "It was me. I broke things off with her. It just wasn't working out. She wasn't what I expected."

"You ran away again. Didn't you," Nanako scolded. "You do this all the time. Things get serious, and you start having doubts. Rather than open your heart, and take a leap of faith, you shut it down and push the person away. That woman truly loved you. I saw it in her eyes, when she looked at you. Even while Mariko and I were talking to her, her eyes didn't stray from you for more than a minute. I wish Mariko looked at me like that. If you keep that up, you'll end up cold, and bitter. Just like the 'Ice Princess' you work for."

Mitsuki turned her seat back around. She wanted to explain the situation to her friend. About Yumi being a corporate spy, her feelings of being used, and the fact that in her heart of hearts, she loved Yumi still. But she kept silent. Whether out of embarrassment, or a need to protect the love of her life, she wasn't sure. Either way, she knew it would cause trouble for them both, if she spoke of those things. The less said, the better.

Nanako walked off, tired of being ignored by her friend, and Mitsu looked at the phone number on the piece of paper Yumi gave her last evening, and debated with herself again, whether she should call. She wanted to hear her ex-lover's voice. She adored the other woman, but was love enough to was away her fears of being just another casualty on the path to Yumi's vengeance. She sighed, and transferred the phone number into her phone, also afraid of losing the tenuous connection to the woman who stole her heart.

Mitsuki dove into her work, to avoid thinking about Yumi. Finally she reached the file about the Nakamura investigation. _ 'I can't avoid this forever,' _she thought with resignation, grabbed the file and walked into Sachiko's office. "Sachiko-sama, here is the investigation you ordered into the Nakamura incident." She handed the file to her boss.

Sachiko opened the file and looked through it. "Summarize," she said as she flipped the pages. Mitsuki related the key points of the investigation, and the appearance of the 'mystery woman,' who may have been a corporate spy. The heiress took a long look at the blurred photo of the possible spy. "I've seen her somewhere before," she said to herself but loud enough for Mitsuki to hear.

'Oh no, did she recognize Yumi,' the assistant worried internally.

Just then, Sachiko opened up the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a second file folder. She opened it and pulled out a second picture and looked at them side by side. "Mitsu-chan, take a look at this," the heiress said somewhat excitedly.

Mitsuki approached the desk and looked at the pair of photos. The second one was another security photo of a woman walking down a hotel corridor. The assistant recognized the woman immediately. It was Yumi.

The recognition must have shown on Mitsuki's face, because the heiress said, "You see it too. They are the same woman. I'm not crazy or paranoid. Just wait until Suguru sees this. He'll have to believe in my conspiracy theory now." Sachiko picked up the first photo and handed it to her assistant. "Distribute this to all departments and all branches, warning them to be on the lookout for this woman. Also tell them that there will be a bonus for anyone who has knowledge that will help us identify her."

Mitsuki was taken aback by the menacing fire in her boss' eyes. She had never seen this look before. She had seen Sachiko angry and hysterical before, but it was nothing like the dark aura she was seeing now. She was terrified of this woman, and what she would do to Yumi should she get her hands on the brunette. "Yes, ma'am," she responded, taking the picture and leaving the office quickly in order to get away from the evil atmosphere pervading the office.

She went back to her desk and scanned in the photo. She used a lower resolution, trying to make the figure in the photograph less defined. She composed the outgoing email per Sachiko's instructions, attached the image, and sent it to all department and branch managers, crossing her fingers hoping for Yumi's safety.

Twenty minutes later Nanako came rushing to her desk, carrying a copy of the picture. She held it in front of Mitsuki's s face. "Have you seen this," she asked her friend. "It looks a little like Yumi. Don't you think?"

"I've seen it," Mitsuki replied. "I sent out the warning after all." She took the picture from Nanako, and looked at it. She smiled to herself. When printed, you could barely make out the defining edges of the figure. "I suppose it does, if you hold it at arms length and squint. But you've met Yumi. Does she seem like the sketchy type that would be a spy?"

"I suppose not," Nanako stated. "She seemed like she was a good, honest girl. She wouldn't be involved in anything like that. I'll tell Mariko that too." She turned and went back to her desk, leaving the picture. Mitsuki breathed a sigh of relief. _'If Nanako only knew the truth,'_ she thought sadly.

XxX

After lunch, Sachiko came out of her office, and approached her assistant. "Mitsu-chan, please clear my schedule for the rest of the day, and have my driver meet us in front of the building in ten minutes." She turned to walk back to her office.

"Yes, ma'am," Mitsuki said automatically. She brought up Sachiko's calendar on her computer screen, while she reached for the phone and called the chauffeur. She then rescheduled her boss' two remaining appointments. Once all that was done, she entered Sachiko's office. "Your appointments have been rescheduled, and the driver is waiting."

"Thank you," the black haired woman said as she picked up a pile of papers from her printer, and collected her briefcase. "We can get your things on the way out."

"My things," the assistant questioned, confused.

"I don't think we'll be coming back to the office tonight." When Mitsuki still looked confused, Sachiko added. "I did say 'us.' That means we're going together. Hurry up or we'll be late." The heiress left the office and Mitsuki rushed to collect her things. The assistant arrived at the elevator, just as the doors opened.

She followed Sachiko through the doors, and the pair rode the elevator down to the lobby. The heiress exited the chamber, with Mitsuki close on her heels. They passed through the front doors of the building, held open by the doorman who doffed his cap at them.

When they made it to the car, the chauffeur opened the rear door of the sedan, waited for the two women to enter, then closed it after them. Once inside the car, Sachiko turned to her assistant. "Your cell phone. Give it to me," the heiress ordered. Mitsuki looked at Sachiko's stern look for a moment, then obediently reached into her pocket and handed her boss the cell phone she retrieved from it.

"Thank you," the heiress said coldly. "Now I need you to fill these out." Sachiko handed her assistant the half dozen sheets of paper she took off the printer.

Mitsuki looked at the forms in her hand. The top one asked for her personal information, the second set wanted a detailed medical history, and the last pages were various different release forms. She looked up at the heiress and asked, "Why do I need to fill these out?"

"Because, my dear, you will be bearing my child," Sachiko stated. "We are on the way to the fertility clinic right now for a brief exam and some blood tests. If all is in order, you will have the privilege of giving birth to the next Ogasawara heir."

"What if I don't want that privilege," the younger girl asked indignantly.

Sachiko looked shocked by the response. _ 'Why would anyone not want the opportunity to give birth to my child,'_ she thought. "Do you realize how much time and money we have invested in you," she said haughtily. "Are you prepared this minute to repay us for that? And don't forget about your poor parents, who will suffer also. On the other hand, if you do perform this little task for me, you and your parents will never have to work another day in your pathetic little lives."

Mitsuki looked at Sachiko's unwavering glare. _ 'Yumi was right,'_ she thought fearfully. _ 'They aren't what they appear to be.' _ She swallowed hard, then looked down at the forms, and started filling them out. _ 'I'm sorry for doubting you Yumi. I should have run away with you. If I ever get out of this, I'll run to your side and never leave it.'_

Sachiko strode through the doors of the clinic with Mitsuki in tow. She approached the woman with the brown ponytail and felt a weird sense of deja vu when the lilting voice asked her to sign in. Sachiko wrote Mitsuki's name on the sheet and passed over the forms in her hand.

"Very good. If you'll please have a seat, we'll be with you shortly." It took all Yumi's willpower to keep her voice steady, when faced with the woman who ruined her life. When she saw the two women walk through the door, an icy stab of fear ran down her spine. She thought she was done for, but when she looked into Mitsuki's scared pleading eyes, she calmed herself down. The two women went to sit down, and Yumi started to create a new patient record for the younger girl.

Mitsuki sat down and tried to slow her racing heart. She felt sure that Sachiko would recognize Yumi as being the woman in the security photos. She relaxed a little when it was apparent her boss didn't. She looked at Yumi, imploring her with her eyes to help her, and felt let down when the woman behind the desk, turned business like and asked them to sit down.

_'God, that was close,'_ Yumi thought, letting her body relax a bit. _'But why is Mitsuki here?'_ She looked over the forms and started entering the data. She paused when she came up to: "Reason for visit - surrogacy evaluation." _'What the hell is Sachiko up to. For that matter, why is Mitsuki agreeing to it.'_ Then she thought about the fear behind her ex-lover's eyes. _ 'Sachiko is forcing her into this. The bitch.'_

Yumi stewed in her frustration as she entered the rest of the data, and created a file for Mitsuki. She placed it in the 'Incoming Patient' tray. _ 'If she needs help, she knows where to call,'_ she sighed. _'I'll do nothing until I hear from her.'_

Ten minutes later a nurse came by, and picked up the folder. She opened the door to the waiting room, and called Mitsuki, who got up followed closely by Sachiko and was led back to a treatment room. Yumi's gaze followed them with a worried look.

About an hour later Sachiko and Mitsuki emerged from the treatment room, and quickly left the clinic. When they got back into the sedan, Sachiko patted the younger woman on the knee. "I'm sorry about the exam," she said compassionately. "I don't like them that much either. Let's get you back to my house and give you a nice bath. You'll feel loads better afterward."

"Y-your house," Mitsuki stuttered, fearfully.

"Yes," the heiress affirmed. "You'll be living there for the time being. I have to make sure you're well taken care of."

"In that case, can I have my phone please," Mitsuki asked hesitantly. "I have to call my friend and ask her to take care of my cat, Minka-chan. She's very dear to me, and I'd hate it if something happened to her while I was away."

Sachiko reached into her packet and handed over the requested phone. "Just tell them you'll be away on business for a while."

"Yes, Sachiko-sama," Mitsuki said before dialing the phone.

XxX

After work, Yumi went across the street to the cafe, to get a bite to eat, and clear her head. She was raging. _'Let's not do anything rash,'_ she told herself as she sat at the counter and ordered cake and coffee. While she was waiting, she took out her phone and dialed for her messages. She played the one message she received. "Hina-chan, this is Mitsuki. I'm going to be going away on business, and I don't know when I'll be back. I know it's a huge favor to ask, but do you think you can take care of Minka-chan for me. You know where the key is. Also, do you think you could look in on my parents and let them know I'll be out of touch. Thanks. I'll call you when I can."

_'I'm definitely going to take Sachiko down,' _ Yumi vowed for the second time in her life, but this time it wasn't for revenge. It was to save the woman she loved. Yumi would go to any lengths to make that happen.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thank you for reading chapter 9. I hope you liked it. Take care of yourselves until next time.


	10. Chapter 10

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 10

It was just over two weeks since Mitsuki disappeared into the realm of Sachiko, and Yumi was getting tired of waiting. Her patience was stretched to it's limit, even with the regular reports she received from Sae-chan, whose help Yumi enlisted the evening of the day she last saw Mitsuki.

**** FLASHBACK ****

Yumi had just finished listening to Mitsuki's message, and hung up the phone. The waitress had delivered her cake, but the brunette just stared into space, too irritated to have much of an appetite. She didn't realize the someone came up and sat in the stool next to her, until they spoke.

"Ume-san," Sae-chan said hesitantly. "Are you alright?"

Yumi slowly turned to the young woman, who dragged her out of her thoughts. "I'm fine Sae-chan," she responded dully. "Thank you for your efforts earlier."

"It was nothing," the younger girl said shyly. "Can I ask a personal question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Ask away," the brunette said.

"The woman that came in earlier for the evaluation. Wasn't she the same woman you met here yesterday?"

Yumi nodded. "And the same woman who broke up with me here too," she added. "I still care about her though, and I fear she may have gotten in over her head. I'm worried Sae-chan."

"She sure looked like she didn't want to be there," the fresh faced woman agreed. "And that Ogasawara-sama can be pretty intimidating. I wonder if Ogasawara-sama bullied her into it."

"Knowing Sachiko," Yumi responded. "I'm sure it was like that. But I keep asking myself 'why would she do such a thing?'"

"You didn't read the lab report you had me fax?" When Yumi shook her head, Sae-chan went on to explain. "All of the harvested eggs were duds, they weren't able to be fertilized. She's barren. So if she wanted a child, she would either need an egg donor ..."

"Or a surrogate," the brunette interrupted, as the light bulb lit over her head. "And Sachiko, being the spoiled princess she is, wouldn't want to endure a messy thing like pregnancy. Thank you, Sae-chan."

Sae-chan smiled, relieved by seeing a hopeful expression on the brunette's face, rather than the troubled one earlier. "No problem," she responded. "I just wish I could do more for you."

"Why would you do that," Yumi questioned, unsure of the younger woman's motivations.

"Because I admire you," Sae-chan replied. "And I think what Ogasawara-sama is doing, is wrong. I don't think I can live with myself if I don't help out in some way."

"Okay then," the brunette agreed, her fears lessened. "Do you think you can keep an eye on things, and keep me informed of their progress?" At the young woman's nod, Yumi wrote down the drop box number and handed it to Sae-chan. "Call that number and leave a message with any information you have. That would be the greatest help you can give."

**** END FLASHBACK ****

Yumi wasn't a fan of the plan her and Arisu hammered out. She would have much preferred the direct method of breaking into Sachiko's house, and kidnapping Mitsuki back, but because the house was secured better than Fort Knox, they had to rely on a more sneakier method. The problem with sneaky is that the plan takes time, as various methods and pieces are put into place, then triggered at the proper time.

One of the pieces that fell into place was that, according to Arisu, Suguru no longer lived in the house with Sachiko. Apparently, after his Kyoto trip, the man got into an argument with Sachiko over Mitsuki's kidnapping. He didn't want to be involved in that kind of thing, so he left. He was now living in a posh hotel downtown. That would make things easier for Yumi when it was time to make her move.

Yumi's phone sounded an alarm. She took out a prescription bottle, opened it, popped a pill in her mouth and washed it down with a glass of water. _'They also serve that only stand and wait,' _Yumi quoted Milton, sarcastically. It didn't help matters that a side effect of the course of medication she had been taking for the past thirteen days, turned the normally mild mannered girl into a hormonal bitch. She loaded the gun on the table in front of her. _ 'Just wait until tonight,'_ she thought, as she took aim. _'Then it will be my turn.'_ She pulled the trigger, and hit the target in the left shoulder, causing the brunette to smile.

XxX

Over the last few weeks, Mitsuki had been poked and prodded and tested at the clinic repeatedly. Sachiko wanted to make sure she was the 'perfect,' baby factory. She wasn't allowed off the grounds of the estate except for her clinic visits, which became the high point of her day. She got to interact with real people, instead of grim faced butlers, stoic security guards, and anti social maids. She especially liked the young tech, Sae-chan, that always seemed to be with her during her examinations.

Sachiko still went off to work every day, leaving her home with the servants until late at night. Sometimes the heiress would be present for her clinic visits. Other times she was accompanied by a dark suited man, who stood guard outside the examination room. On those days she wished the visit wouldn't end, as she was able to relax and chat with Sae-chan, without being glared at by the black haired heiress.

But apart from those visits, the past two weeks were boring and lonely. At first, she took her meals in the elegant dining room, but after she learned that the best conversation she would have was,"Yes Ojousama" or "No Ojousama," she started taking her meals in her room. At least there she had the television for company. At no time did she see any sign of Kashewagi-sama, Sachiko's husband.

On nice days, Mitsuki would walk the grounds, enjoying what little freedom she was allowed. Other days she would explore the inside of the house. It was on one of these excursions that she found a narrow stairway on the third floor leading up to a wooden door. She opened the door, entered, and reached a hand out to flip the light switch. When the lights came on, she was amazed by what she saw. Instead of cobwebs and dusty, old furniture that one would expect to find in an attic, the room was empty except for a large makeshift altar across from her consisting of pictures and knickknacks arranged neatly on a large wooden crate.

At her first sight of the altar, Mitsuki felt and eerie chill run down her spine, causing her to shiver. As afraid as she was, she couldn't resist the pull from the macabre object ahead of her. When she was a couple of feet away, she could make out the figures in the photographs. They were predominately of a brown haired girl with pigtails, some were two shots of this girl and Sachiko. The brunette in the pictures looked familiar to Mitsuki, and she quickened her pace eager to see more detail.

Soon, she was in front of the shrine. Dead center was an 8 x 10 portrait of two girls facing each other, the taller one with black hair, who must have been Sachiko, was retying the neckerchief of the shorter brunette. She gasped with recognition as she focused on the brunette. It was Yumi, but not the Yumi she knew. This girl looked fresh faced, bright eyed, and happy, not the jaded flirtatious woman who saved her in that bar. _'What I wouldn't give to have seen those bright, clear eyes, and open expression. What pain she must have gone through to make her how she is today.'_ It was right then that she promised herself that if she ever met Yumi again, she would do her best to bring that expression back to the brunette's face.

XxX

"Suguru, you bastard," Sachiko exclaimed, as she read the legal document in front of her a second time. It was an injunction, preventing her from using the man's stored sperm without his written consent. She crumpled up the paper and threw it across the room. She banged her fists on the desk and growled. She threw herself back into her chair, and tried to figure out what went wrong.

**** FLASHBACK ****

"So, Sa-chan," Suguru said over the phone on his way back from Kyoto. "How did the last series of tests go?"

"None of the eggs taken were viable," she replied flatly.

"I'm sorry, Sa-chan," the man on the phone said compassionately. "You should have called me as soon as you found out. No sense going through the pain alone."

"I'm rather happy about it," the heiress stated. "Now I don't have to go through that nasty in vitro procedure, and a messy pregnancy. Plus, I already have a surrogate. In a couple months, Mitsuki will be carrying the next Ogasawara heir. She's going to be staying at our house until she gives birth."

"Why would she be staying with us," Suguru asked sounding confused.

"I want to make sure the are no problems during the process," she replied. "I also want to keep her from running away. She wasn't too thrilled with the idea."

"So you're keeping her prisoner, and forcing her to give get pregnant," the young man said, voice rising in irritation. "That's kidnapping and extortion. Possibly even rape. Are you out of your mind?"

"That's only if she presses charges, Suguru," Sachiko responded calmly. "It's not like she won't be repaid for her efforts."

"Just let her go, Sachiko," he pleaded. "We'll find another woman to act as a surrogate."

"I know Mitsu-chan,"she argued. "I feel comfortable with her. I don't want some sleazy stranger to give birth to our precious child. My decision is final."

"If that's the case, I don't want any part of it," Suguru bit back angrily. "I'll stay at a hotel until you come to your senses."

"Stay away forever for all I care," Sachiko said coldly. "It's not like I need you for anything anyway. I have everything I need cryogenicly stored."

"Sachiko, please. I beg you. Don't do this. It's immoral."

"Since when did you grow a conscience, Suguru," Sachiko reviled. The line went silent as the connection closed.

**** END FLASHBACK ****

Sachiko stood up from the chair, strode across the room, and picked up the crumpled piece of paper. She smoothed it out the best she could, and picked up the phone to call the family lawyers. Just as she was about to dial, she noticed the name of the injunction's filing attorney, and hung up the phone. _'Why,' _she thought as she picked up the phone again and dialed a number.

"Mizuno here," a woman's voice answered.

"Onee-sama, why are you doing this to me," Sachiko complained.

"I haven't heard from you in five years," Youko stated with disappointment. "And those are the first words out of your mouth. I'm ashamed to be your sister."

"I'm sorry Onee-sama," the heiress said softly. "The last time we spoke, you made it clear that you didn't want to hear anything from me about my misery or my marriage. Since I haven't had much else happen in my life aside from work, there was nothing I could share. But now you seem to want to get in the middle of it. And you're taking his side over mine, your sister."

"The only side I'm taking, is the side of that little girl your keeping prisoner," the older woman bit back. "It just so happens that Suguru is taking her side also. It also happens to be the ethical side. You know, I never really liked him when we first met, but he does have his good points. I was quite surprised when he came to me and asked me to talk some sense into you. And after seeing what you've become, I might just nominate him for sainthood."

"But why file for the injunction," Sachiko asked. "You could have just called and talked to me about it."

"And you would have just blown me off," Youko spat. "You had to be the one to come to me, or we'd have no constructive dialog. I'm sure if you turn Mitsuki over to me, Kashewagi-san would be more than happy to sign the release once you found a surrogate the proper way."

"I have to refuse," the heiress said viciously. "I'll fight you on this Onee-sama."

"That's your right, but kidnapping and assault are serious charges," Youko warned. "You'd better be aware of the consequences of your actions. I still can't believe what a monster you've become. You were nearly human when you were with Yumi. Goodbye Sachiko."

_'Who the hell is this Yumi?'_ The black haired woman hung up the phone on dead air. A second later she picked it up again to get in touch with her lawyers.

XxX

Suguru sat and sipped his drink in the hotel's bar. _ 'Sachiko's gone way too far on this one,'_ he thought disgustedly. _'What she's doing is criminal.'_ He knew any charges filed would be dropped. All the heiress had to do was coerce the girl to sign a statement she was there of her own free will, and that would be the end of it. The injunction would be the key. If it didn't put a complete halt to the situation, it would at least delay things a while, and maybe Sachiko would come to her senses in the meantime.

Deep down he knew what his wife was doing was wrong. It didn't matter who was the target. He didn't know much about Mitsuki, aside from the fact that she was bright, diligent, and did her job well. She also reminded him of a certain fresh faced, brown haired girl, that pushed him down to the ground and said, "I'm sorry, but Kashewagi-san won't cut it" before running after Sachiko. It was that single thing that caused him to select the girl over the other applicants for the Fellowship that year. He also arranged things so that she would be lined up to be Sachiko's assistant, when she finished school. Essentially he was hoping lightning would strike twice, and bring back to him the kind, loving Sachiko from five years ago.

It didn't work as well as he'd hoped. Sometimes life gives only one opportunity, and once it's wasted, there are no more. The young man grimaced and finished his drink. He called the bartender over, and ordered another. Once it arrived, he picked it up and looked through the amber liquid, as if it held the secret to life.

_'I'm not much to be proud of. Am I Yukiichi,'_ he thought as he brought the glass to his lips and took a large swallow. As always, the first drink was his, the second in memory of his lost love, and the subsequent ones were to dull the pain caused by the second. He put the glass down, and wondered, not for the first time, why he had listened to Sachiko in the first place.

**** FLASHBACK ****

Suguru entered the cafe, and walked to the table where Sachiko sat. He pulled out a chair and seated himself across from the heiress. "Good Afternoon, Sa-chan," he said smoothly. "To what do I owe the honor of your invitation?"

"I want to talk to you about the wedding, Suguru," she stated.

"So you're finally going to tell the old man to cancel our engagement," the young man asked.

"Quite the opposite actually," Sachiko replied. "I'm thinking of going through with it."

Suguru looked at his cousin in disbelief. "But what about Yumi-chan? I thought she was your heart's desire?"

"She is," the heiress agreed. "But we can't keep living in a fantasy world. Where we all get what we want. We also have responsibilities. To the Family, To the Company."

"Screw them," the black haired man exclaimed. "All that business has ever done is bring misery to anyone associated with it. When was the last time your father spent a whole holiday at home? Have you ever seen your mother look at him with love in her eyes? It chews people up and spits them out."

"If it wasn't for that company, you wouldn't have that red sports car, or those flashy clothes you're wearing. Remember that, Cousin," Sachiko responded coldly. "There's one other thing you should keep in mind also. The Family has been very indulgent with us. What do you think they'd do to Yukki, Yumi, or their family, when they aren't so gracious?"

Suguru paled at the thought. With the amount of money, power, and influence the Ogasawara Group could throw around, anything was possible. The old man was very unforgiving and unmerciful to those that opposed him. He'd likely destroy the whole Fukuzawa family, if he felt they were a threat to his company.

"Do you see it now," the heiress said. "We are essentially on parole. Wouldn't you rather get married on our terms, than be coerced into it?"

"But Yukki and Yumi, have made us into better people," the young man argued. "What will happen, when we no longer have their support?"

"I guess we'll have to learn to lean on each other," Sachiko suggested.

"They won't let go easily," Suguru reminded his cousin. "They'll fight us."

"That's why we'll have to make them despise us," Sachiko stated sadly.

**** END FLASHBACK ****

_'Ahh, Yukki, it's all my fault,' _he said to himself, finishing his drink and ordering a third. _ 'I should have tried to explain things, rather than say all those things to make you hate me. You were the only one back then. If only you were here right now, I'd tell you properly.'_

His third drink came, and he swallowed half of it at once. He was starting to feel warm and numb at the same time. He pinched the bridge of his nose to keep the tears in, as he pined for his lost love. When he downed the last of his drink, the bartender came over with another, and set it down, along with a key card wrapped in a note. "Complements of the gentleman at the end of the bar," the man said indicating a brown haired, young man sitting at the end, watching the lounge singer.

_'Nah,'_ Suguru shook his head denying his first impression of the young man. _'He's been dead for five __years.' _ The man finished his drink, turned and put the empty glass on the bar. Suguru couldn't make out his features, because of the smoke and dim light in the bar, but as he looked at the man's profile a shiver shot down his spine. He watched as the man walked to the doors and left.

The black haired man picked up the note, opened it, and turn white as he read the recognizable handwriting:

_Sugar-san,  
Long time no see. I hear things aren't going well with the Princess. If you want to meet up, I'm staying in the hotel across the street, Room 128. Just use the key when you get there. I'm heading back to the States tomorrow, so we won't be able to meet again. Hope to see you soon.  
Yukiichi_

Suguru couldn't believe his eyes. The note was definitely written in his ex-lover's hand. _ 'But I went to his funeral,'_ he thought, bewildered, but he never actually saw the body. He finished the last drink in a quick swallow, stood up and staggered out of the bar, key in hand. He then walked across the street, his head clouded by booze and hope.

Son the handsome man was standing outside Room 128. He slid the card into the slot of the door. When he didn't hear the lock click open, he looked down. He removed the key, turned it around the correct way, and repeated the process. Hearing the click this time he opened the door, and walked into the dim room. He let the door close behind him, and regarded the silhouetted figure sitting in an armchair across from him. "Yukiichi?"

Just then, the figure moved quickly, pointed a gun at him, and fired. The shot was muffled, but its power was not. He felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder, where the projectile hit home. Suguru's back slammed hard against the door, and slid down to the floor. The figure got up out of the armchair, walked over to the still body and checked for a pulse. Then it stood, looking down. "Not Yukiichi, but Yumi," the brunette said with an evil smile.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Didn't think Yumi had it in her. Did you?

Thanks for reading another chapter. And thanks for all the reviews and comments. You guys are really fantastic. I love you all.


	11. Chapter 11

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 11

Yumi checked on the bound, naked, sleeping man laying on the metal bed, in the middle of the small infirmary nestled in the back of the small warehouse Arisu rented for this purpose. She checked that the restraints were secure, then checked the wound on his shoulder where the tranquilizer dart pierced the flesh. She also checked his pulse, and estimated she had about an hour before her would awaken.

She walked over to a metal desk in the corner, and picked up and alcohol prep along with one of five prepared syringes, then walked back to the sleeping man. She swabbed the man's forearm and injected the contents of the syringe into his blood stream. "When I come back, you'll be nice and ready for me, Sugar-san," she said before grabbing a towel from her bag, and walking over to the attached bathroom to shower.

Yumi turned on the shower to start the water heating while she took off the sweat soaked clothes from her body. Even with the help of a member of the hotel staff, it was still difficult to move the 90 kilo body out to the taxi, waiting by the hotel entrance. It was more difficult as Arisu, acting as the cab driver, helped her with getting him into the warehouse. _ 'I swear, that boy has no upper body strength,'_ she thought, as she got under the hot water to wash her sweaty, sticky body. _'Even I could take him down.'_

When she was good and clean, she turned off the water, dried herself, and wrapped the towel around her body. She exited the bathroom, and sprinkled some of Yukki's brand of cologne on her body, from a bottle she retrieved from her bag. _ 'That stuff really works,' _she thought, catching sight of the area between the man's legs, when she went over to check on him again. His pulse was faster than the last time she checked, so she knew he'd be waking up soon.

She looked between Suguru's legs again, and wondered if she could really go through with her part of the plan. The last time she dealt with one of 'those' was when she was still in college three years ago. That experience wasn't entirely unpleasant, but she wondered how she would fare, since this one was attached to such a despicable man. She retrieved a few more things from her bag and brought them over to the bed.

Suguru was on the edge of wakefulness when he felt something warm and wet moving against a certain part of his anatomy. He let out a moan and cracked his eyes open. He saw a familiar head bobbing up and down between his legs, and he let out a groan as his pleasure center came back to life. "Oh, Yukiichi," he he cried out as his hips started moving on their own. "It's been too long."

"You mean Sachiko never did this for you," a woman's voice responded, dripping with derision. "What kind of wife is she, that she can't take care of her man."

The young man opened his eyes wider, and took in the whole scene clearly. "Yumi-chan," he exclaimed once he recognized the woman, working on his lower parts. "What the hell ..."

"I just wanted to see what was so special, that my brother killed himself over," the brunette said mockingly, letting her hand do some of the work, while she talked. "It doesn't seem like it's anything to write home about." She reached down under the bed, and placed some lubrication on her fingers, before bringing them between her own legs.

"Looks like you're about ready to perform." Yumi got up off her knees and straddled the man on the bed. She brought he hand down and guided Suguru into her, slowly. She let out a little hiss of discomfort as she lowered herself down on the handsome man. "You'll thank me for this afterward," she said, laughing arrogantly. "Because by the time you leave here, I will have given you something your pathetic, barren wife can't. A child. After all, you are good breeding stock, and it's a shame to waste it."

Suguru let out a moan himself, as he felt Yumi's tight warmth encase him. He tried to hold it back, but it felt so good against his over sensitive member, he couldn't help himself. The brunette started to move, and he felt the pleasurable sensations increase. His hips started moving of their own accord, and his moans got louder.

Yumi felt empowered, when she looked at the man, chained to the bed underneath her. Having the man responsible for her brother's death at her mercy, aroused her even more. "Look at you. Getting excited by the thought of knocking me up. What would your wife think, when she finds out you enjoyed getting her little sister pregnant," she said in an attempt to humiliate him. "Will she get mad, or forgive you." She ground her pelvis against the man below her, causing him to let out a loud groan of pleasure as the tip of his member hit home.

"And who does you better. Me or her," Yumi taunted, continuing her verbal assault. "Answer me." The brunette sped up her up and down motion. "Who's better. Tell me!"

At this point Suguru was very close to the edge. His breathing was heavy, and his moans became louder and quicker. "Y-Y-You a-are."

"And what's my name," Yumi asked as she bounced up and down, making the bed springs squeak.

"Yumi," Suguru said, in the middle of a long moan.

"Louder," the brunette's ordered, slapping the man's face around. "I can't hear you."

Suguru couldn't take it any longer. "Yumi is best," he screamed as he exploded inside the petite brunette, releasing all his seed, and filling her.

Once she felt Suguru start to release his sperm, Yumi bore down on him until he bottomed out against her cervix. She orgasmed herself, as she felt the warm, thick fluid erupt inside her, filling her up. This was a new feeling for her, since the other men she had sex with wore condoms. It wasn't that unpleasant a feeling, though she wasn't overly excited about experiencing it again for the next four days.

Once Suguru was drained, she got off him, and laid herself on a mat she placed near the bed. Her back was flat against it and she pulled her knees to her chest and held them there for a minute or two, until her breathing slowed down.

The black haired man let out a satisfied sigh. "You Fukuzawa's are amazing," he said in wonder. "The only other person who made me feel that good was your brother."

After hearing those words, Yumi shot up off the floor, and jumped on Suguru's chest, and started beating the man around the face and neck. "You have no right to even speak of him, you bastard," she screamed, letting the tears fall from her eyes. "If it wasn't for you, he'd still be alive."

Deep down, the man knew the brunette was right, so he didn't even flinch away from her blows. It was all his fault. He should have just told Sachiko 'No' and fought against the engagement. He should have been stronger. His heart crumbled further, as he heard Yumi's distraught wails, and saw the pain behind the young woman's eyes. All of a sudden the fight drained out of the brunette and she collapsed against his shoulder sobbing. If his hands were free, he'd wrap a comforting arm around Yumi. As it was, he just lay on the bed silently, and let his own tears flow.

XxX

Mitsuki looked up the attic stairs, and saw a light coming from the top landing. It was the middle of the night, and she was heading down to the kitchen in order to make some tea to settle her nerves. The young girl had just woken from a disturbing dream.

The dream had started out normal enough, with her and Yumi sharing a picnic lunch in the park. All of a sudden the heavens opened, and a torrential downpour caused them to start running. A man grabbed a hold of her and dragged Mitsuki from Yumi's side. The next thing she remembered was that she was tied up in a small room, and the man who took her was naked on top of her. Before the man could have his way with her, the door burst open and in walked Yumi, dressed in a black suit, looking like James Bond. The brunette in the suit pointed a gun in the direction of the bed she was on. But before Yumi could fire, machine guns started shooting toward the door. She woke up after seeing Yumi fall to the ground with about a half dozen bullet holes in her chest.

The light at the top landing, aroused her curiosity. _'Just what does Sachiko-sama do up there,'_ she had asked herself earlier in the day when she passed the stairway. Well now was a good time for her to find out. She turned and slowly, silently climbed the steps to the attic. When she reached the top she moved to one side of the opened door and peeked in.

Sachiko, wearing a white night own, was kneeling in front of her shrine to Yumi. Her head was bowed and her hands were in a praying position. "... ria-Sama, please watch over Yumi until we can see each other again." Mitsuki overheard the heiress' words. The black haired woman sat back on her heels, turned her head slightly and called out, "You might as well come in Mitsuki-san. I already know you're there."

The younger girl stepped into the room and warily padded over to the kneeling woman. When she reached Sachiko, she sat next to the woman on the floor and crossed her legs. She must have looked afraid, because the black haired woman smiled gently and said, giggling. "Don't be afraid. It's not like I'm killing small animals and offering them to Satan."

Mitsuki was shocked. In all the years she'd known her boss, she had never heard the woman sound so sweet and gentle. Let alone heard her boss giggle. The young girl was downright puzzled at the 180 degree change in a woman she thought she knew so well.

"I know you must be confused, and wondering what's going on," Sachiko said softly. "I'm not even sure I can explain it correctly myself. The Sachiko you came to work for, is the person I was before my second year in high school. A cold, hard, unforgiving woman, who never knew love. I still remember how set apart and lonely I felt. Then in my second year, I ran into, and nearly crushed a brown haired pig tailed first year," she pointed to the central picture of her and Yumi. "She taught me love and how to open my heart. Over time the cold hearted Sachiko was replaced by a warmer, friendlier version, much as I am now. You sort of remind me of Yumi in some ways. You're diligent, honest, and loyal."

Mitsuki blushed, not just from the complement she just received, but also being compared to the bright eyed, brunette shown in the pictures before her. _'If Yumi turned Sachiko into the woman in front of me, I wonder if I can bring back Yumi's bright eyes and smile,'_ she thought hopefully. "So what happened?"

"I did, or at least the part of me that chose duty over love," the heiress continued on with her story. "Suguru and I were engaged to each other at a young age. My grandfather decided to consolidate the family's power by marrying me to my cousin, so that after his death there wouldn't be a power struggle over the company. To an eight year old it was like a fairy tale, but when we became older it turned into more of an obligation. I fell in love with Yumi, and he had his own special person too. But when the time came, I was afraid. My grandfather is cold and hard, just like the other Sachiko, you're familiar with. I started wondering if he might do something bad to Yumi if we didn't follow through with the wedding. So I decided to break up with her."

"When I did, I said such awful and hurtful things to her" Sachiko wiped at the tears forming in the corner of her eyes, before going on. "I needed her to hate me and move on with her life, rather than hope for the impossible. Suguru did the same to her brother, Yukki, who later committed suicide." The heiress paused, stood up, and went to stand in front of the altar, followed closely by Mitsuki. "Right afterward, it was painful for me to look at all these memories, so I packed them all up in a box, and tried my best to forget about her. Then, on my wedding night, I came up here and opened the box. I became overwrought with sadness and guilt, and I tried to throw myself off the balcony. But that damn cousin of mine stopped me. I guess you can say that is when I was born."

Sachiko let out a barking laugh. "I guess the mind has its own way of surviving. In order to avoid the pain, the Sachiko back then forced herself to forget all about Yumi, and reverted to the person she was before they met. Now only I hold those dearest memories of love and happiness. The only problem is, I can only come out when she sleeps. I see everything that goes on, but I can only act at night. I know what she's doing to you is wrong, but please bear with it. I keep hoping that maybe after the heir is born, and our obligation dismissed, she can become happy again, and accept that which I hold dear."

_'This woman is seriously cracked,'_ Mitsuki thought at the end of Sachiko's story._ 'She needs some professional help.'_ The young girl gazed longingly at the multitude of pictures before her, wishing after her love. Just then she noticed the security camera picture from the investigative file. "That's ..."

"Yumi," the black haired woman stated. "I really have to thank you for muddying up that picture before you sent it out. I don't think it would go well if she was found by my alter ego, but something has been bugging me. Why would you try and hide her identity."

"Because I love her too," Mitsuki challenged, preparing for a fight.

"My, my, my, so I have a rival for Yumi's affections," the older girl said teasingly. "Calm down, child. I have no intention of hurting you. I probably wouldn't win anyway. So how is she? I haven't heard anything about her since we broke up."

"She's fine I guess," Mitsuki stated. "But the Yumi I know is different from this one." She waved her arm across the altar. "I've never seen these shining eyes, or this bright smile. The eyes I see are hiding pain and anger. The smile is cynical. Every now and then I see their potential inside her. I'm jealous of you, you know. You've seen her eyes full of joy. You've seen her true nature. I have only seen the pale shadow of what she used to be like, before you ripped her heart out and crushed it. It doesn't matter if you blame yourself or the other Sachiko. To me you're one in the same. So don't invite me to your pity party. You're responsible, so accept the consequences."

Mitsuki turned and started to walk away. "What gives you the right to say such things to me," Sachiko called out after the young girl.

"I have every right," the office worker stated coldly. "Because even though you aren't in her life, you still stand in my way from helping her become the woman she used to be." The young girl didn't see Sachiko's tears as she strode out of the attic, and back to her room.

XxX

When Yumi awoke, her head was resting on something hard and warm. She opened her eyes and focused on her surroundings. Her body was on top of Suguru, who seemed to be resting peacefully. The brunette got off of the man, and looked at him. His face sand shoulders were bruised, and one of his eyes was swollen.

_'Did I do that,'_ Yumi asked herself, shocked. She remembered getting angry, and hitting the bound man, but she didn't realize how much damage she had done. She checked his pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she found out he was still alive.

She looked at the clock. She had only been napping for about an hour. The chill air against her skin reminded her she was still naked, so she went and took a quick shower, then got dressed. When she came out, the naked man was still asleep, so she released the bed restraints, leaving him only in handcuffs and leg shackles. The leg shackles were attached to the bed by a five foot chain, so as to give him some freedom of movement. Afterward Yumi took out an ice pack, and applied it to the sleeping man's eye.

Suguru awoke feeling the cold weight against his eye socket. His head hurt and he let out a wince from the pressure, of the pack on his face. "You sure pack a mean punch, Yumi-chan," he groaned.

"I'm sorry," the brunette responded. "I'm still a little sensitive about what happened to my brother, and I lost control a bit."

"Your emotions still stay very close to the surface, I see," Suguru stated. "But in this case, I deserved it. I've been beating myself up internally for the last five years. It was about time to experience it physically."

"If you regret it so much, why did you do it in the first place," Yumi asked.

"It seemed logical at the time," he replied. "Get the two of you to despise us, then get married with no interference. But if I knew, back then, how miserable Sa-chan and I would be five years later, I would have told her to go climb a tree."

"So ultimately, it's Sachiko's fault," Yumi inquired. "It was her idea. Does she regret it also?"

"Partly yes, and partly no," the young man responded. When he saw Yumi's confused look, he explained about Sachiko's mental break, and how the heiress' conscious mind blocked Yumi out completely. "So even if you met her face to face, she wouldn't recognize you."

"How lucky for her," Yumi stated coldly. "She hasn't had to live with the pain for the last five years, like the rest of us."

Suguru nodded, then sat up on the bed. "Not that I don't mind the enforced vacation," he said sarcastically. "But do you think you can tell be why you kidnapped and raped me?"

"One good kidnapping deserves another," she bit back. "And I wouldn't call it rape. I'd rather think of it as 'natural insemination.' Sachiko is using my friend as a brood mare. I might as well use you for 'stud service.' I figure if I can conceive an heir, before Sachiko forces Mitsuki, then she has no reason to hold her."

"If that's all it is, then I'll support you. I don't like what she's doing either," Suguru asserted. "I'll hand over my stored sperm. I'll even pay for the doctors and procedure. Anything you need, just so I can keep Sachiko from ruining another young girl's life, like she did yours. I owe at least that much to you."

"That's a great offer," the brunette responded. "But how can I trust you? You're the one that drove Yukki to commit suicide. How do I know you're not lying to save yourself?"

The young mans face held a pained expression at the mention of his former lover's name. "My life is yours, Yumi-chan. After all this is done, if you still want payback for your brother, I will take my life by my own hand. It hasn't been that good without him anyway. I've just been marking time for the last five years."

Yumi looked the man straight in his blue eye, gauging his honesty. "I'll accept your offer," she told him. "Unfortunately, we are under a time schedule. I've been taking hormones and clomid, to increase my fertility. My most fertile time is now. If we have no success this month, we will reconsider the options. So you're still on 'stud service' for the next four days."

* * *

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading.


	12. Chapter 12

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 12

"What the hell were you thinking. Making a deal with that devil." Arisu yelled into the phone in frustration. "He'll betray us for sure."

"You weren't there. So how do you know that," Yumi fought back. "He's regretted his decision every day since my brothers death. I can tell by the sound of his voice, and the pain in his eyes. Besides, if he betrays anyone, it will be me. He knows nothing of your involvement in this. So calm down. Alright?"

Arisu sighed in resignation. "I'm trusting you," he replied. "So now what's the plan?"

"I think it's time for my 'official' return to Japan," the brunette told her partner. "It's time to drive Sachiko completely over the edge."

"What do you mean," the blond asked in confusion.

Yumi related Suguru's confession about the heiress' mental state to her partner. "So what do you think will happen, when she's forced to face the truth?"

"She'll either break, or dig in her heels," Arisu answered. "Either way, it will be extremely vexing."

"Exactly."

Yumi hung up the phone, and filled the bathtub in her hotel room. _ 'If I never have another one of those inside me, it will be too soon,'_ she thought as she lowered herself into the warm water in an effort to relieve the aching in her pelvis and hips. They were quite sore after five straight days of regular use. She had about two hours to herself before Suguru would be calling to get together and firm up their plans. She was going to make the most of it.

XxX

While Yumi was taking her bath, across town, alone in his office, Arisu called up the video from the hidden webcam he had set up in the infirmary, prior to the last weeks events. He forwarded through most of it, only copying the parts of the video, where Yumi and Suguru were 'in the act.' What surprised him during his review was that by the third day, the black haired man was unrestrained, and didn't require the injection to be able to 'perform.' By the fourth day the two seemed like lovers. _'That little bitch is trying to betray me,'_ he thought angrily. '_If that's the way she wants it, I'll take her down too.'_

For the rest of the morning, he painstakingly edited the videos, and copied them to DVDs. When he was done he placed the discs in an envelope and addressed it. When he was done, he called Kanako into his office.

"You wanted me, sir," the tall, black haired woman asked after she walked into the office.

"Yes, Kanako-san," her boss responded, holding out the envelope he just addressed. "Could you take this down to the mail room, and get a courier to deliver it today. It's very important."

"Certainly sir," the office manager replied, taking the proffered envelope. "I'll make sure it gets delivered today." She left the office and went down to the mail room. After talking to the supervisor there, she was told that all the couriers were currently out delivering and wouldn't be back until later in the afternoon. Knowing how important this was to the boss, she decided to hand deliver it herself, during her lunch hour.

She looked at the destination for the package, and was shocked to see it was addressed to Sachiko. Her eyes clouded with anger at the thought of the despicable woman that caused Yumi such hurt. That thought, added with the fact that though Arisu was her boss, she still didn't trust the man, caused her to question the contents of the package. Her curiosity peaked, she took the package into the ladies room, locked herself in a stall and opened it.

Seeing the unlabeled discs, she put them back in the envelope and brought the package back to her desk. She took one of the discs out and placed it into her computer. She was both shocked and dismayed by the contents of the video files. _ 'Yumi-sama, how could you,'_ she thought as she saw her precious friend engaged in a sexual act with one of those detestable men. Upset and angered by it, she decided to confront her friend directly. So she decided to go visit the brunette's parent's house, and try and track Yumi down.

XxX

After she met with Suguru, Yumi went to Arisu's estate and collected the rest of her things, much to the dismay of the blond's mother, who had thought that her son had finally decided to settle down with the brunette he had known for years, and she had said as much when Yumi took her leave.

"I'm sorry, Kintarou-sama," Yumi said apologetically. "Arisu and I are too close. I really don't think things would work out between us."

"Just think about it," the older woman requested. "You seem to be the only one that can handle him. You could do worse than being a member of the family."

"But my heart already calls out for someone else," the brunette replied. "I'm sure you can understand that."

The Kintarou matriarch nodded. "But if things don't work out, I'd love to have a nice girl like you as a daughter-in-law."

Leaving the matter open between them, Yumi left the mansion and traveled by taxi to her parent's house. When she got there, she grabbed her luggage from the back of the cab, and paid the driver. _'Nothing has changed,' _she mused as she walked up the pathway to the front door. She took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

Fukuzawa Miki strode toward the door, ready to tell off the annoying salesman, who had disturbed her writing. In a matter of seconds from opening the door her expression changed from annoyance, to shock, to sheer joy. "Yumi-chan, you're home," she squealed, rushing in to give her daughter a big hug. "You should have told us you were coming. I would have made your father take the day off, and we would have picked you up at the airport. Come in. Come in." The older woman ushered the brunette into the house.

"I just wanted to surprise you," the young girl said, smiling mischievously.

"You certainly did," Miki replied giggling. "Why don't you take your bags to your room, and I'll put on some tea. You can tell me all about your big adventures abroad."

Yumi nodded and changed into a pair of house slippers. She grabbed her bags and headed up to her room to drop them off. Before she headed back downstairs, she stopped by her brother's room to pay her respects. When she opened the door, she stared at the contents with her mouth open. Instead of Yukki's furniture and personal effects, the room was turned into a miniature office, with a desk, office chair, computer, and printer. She screamed, and fell to her knees.

Yumi's mother hustled up the stairs, concerned for her remaining child. She knelt down next to her, and pulled her into a comforting embrace. "What's wrong dear," she asked her weeping daughter.

"What did you do to Yukki's room," the younger girl asked sobbing.

"Shh. Why don't we calm down, and talk about it over tea, sweetie," Miki said softly, as she guided Yumi down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Once the brunette was seated she went and poured the tea, then sat across from her daughter.

"Why Mom," Yumi asked sullenly.

"Both me and your father felt it was time to move on," the older woman replied. "The time for mourning was over." Yumi gave her an accusatory look, so she continued on, not giving her daughter time to speak. "Listen, honey. People deal with loss in different ways. Your father buried himself in his work, I walked around like a zombie and spent my nights sitting up waiting for your brother to come home, and you ran away to the States. Your father and I eventually got over Yukki's death and went on with our lives. When I started writing again, we needed space for my office, and Yukki wasn't ever going to use his room again, so we put it to use. Is not like we've forgotten him. Your father built a lovely cabinet to see as his shrine. I really don't think your brother would have wanted us to mourn forever. Now would he?" Yumi shook her head, and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Maybe it's time for you to move on too," the older woman finished.

She gave Yumi a few minutes to collect herself, before talking about other things. "How long will you be staying in Japan," she asked.

"For a while," the brunette answered. "Arisu wants me to stick around and train some of our new people. I'll probably be getting an apartment as soon as I get my bearings."

"Take your time, Yumi-chan," Miki responded. "There's no need to rush off. After all, we haven't seen you for the past five years. Give us time to learn about our little girl again."

"How have things been with you and dad," the brunette inquired.

"Business has been going strong," Miki answered. "I mentioned that I started writing again. Well I finished a book last month, and Sei-chan put me in touch with a good agent. Cosmos will be publishing it. It will be out in a couple months."

"Way to go, Mom," Yumi said with pride.

"Why thank you," Miki responded. "But I can't take all the credit. Sei-chan, helped me with editing. You do have some very nice friends, Yumi-chan. Not a week goes by that one or more of them don't come to visit. In fact just yesterday, Rei-chan and Yoshino-chan stopped by with a plate of cookies, and stayed for a bit. They asked about you."

"What did you tell them?"

"What we always tell your friends when they ask: Your out of the country, working on assignment. That's pretty much all you tell us during your brief calls, and terse emails," the older woman chided. "We should call them and all get together. I'm sure they'd love to see you."

"Yeah we can do that," Yumi agreed. "There's some stuff I have to deal with beforehand, so I can take some time off."

"I guess there's no rush on that either," Miki said, sounding disappointed. "Are you dating again?" She continued, with hope in her voice. "I know the breakup with Sachiko left you a little gun shy, but there are other people out there, you know."

"Mom," Yumi whined, turning red in the process. "Can we leave my love life out of this?"

Miki smiled mischievously. "There is. Isn't there? I can still read you like a book, sweetie. When are you going to introduce them to us?"

Yumi looked down at her tea cup, as if reading the leaves. "It's not like that, Mom. I'm not dating anyone now," she replied, then submitted to her mother's penetrating gaze. "At least not yet. Things are still up in the air, but I promise if things work out, I'll introduce you. OK?"

"Well at least you're making progress there," the older woman stated.

Afraid of getting herself backed into a corner, Yumi stood and took her cup to the sink. "If you don't mind, I'm going to head up to my room. I have to make a few phone calls, and rest."

"Sure thing," Miki said. "What do you want me to make for dinner?"

"I'll have to take a pass on that," the brunette responded. "I have a business dinner to attend with a client. Can we do it tomorrow?" She headed for the stairs.

"Tomorrow it is then," the older woman agreed. "I'll make all your favorites."

XxX

Kanako was nervous as she approached the front door of the Fukuzawa house, having never been there before. She had only assumed the brunette's parents were loving, caring, good people, just for the fact they raised such a wonderful daughter. Now that she was facing the door, she had fears that they weren't. Summoning her courage, she rang the doorbell.

A minute later, she was looking at a slightly older version of the face that haunted her dreams. "Can I help you," this older version of Yumi asked.

"Ah ... Um ..." the young girl started. "My name is Hosokawa Kanako. I'm an old friend of Yumi-sama's from high school. I was wondering if you knew where I could reach her. It is imperative I get this to her today." She indicated the envelope she held in her hand.

"Well, you happen to be in luck," Miki replied. "She just flew in from the States this morning. She's upstairs having a rest. Why don't you come in and I'll get her for you. I'm Fukuzawa Miki, Yumi's mother. Kanako-chan is it?"

Kanako nodded, stepped in the entry way, and closed the door behind her. She waited while the older woman went halfway up the stairs and called out, "Yumi-chan, you awake? There's a Kanako-chan here to see you." She heard a muffled response, and Miki came back over to her. "Come on in. Don't be shy," the older woman stated. The young girl removed her shoes, and stepped into the main part of the house. "Go on upstairs," Yumi's mother directed. "It's the first door on the left. I'll be up to bring you refreshments in a bit."

The young office lady followed Miki's directions and found herself in front of a closed door. She knocked, then entered when she heard the brunette call out to her. Yumi was sitting on her bed, reading. The older girl, closed the book and looked up. "Did Arisu send you," Yumi asked.

"No," Kanako replied. "He doesn't even know I am here, and I need to talk to you about something." She handed Yumi the package clutched in her hands. "He wanted this delivered today. I thought you might want to look at it first."

"That bastard," Yumi exclaimed when she saw the addressee on the envelope. "What the hell does he want to send her?" She opened the envelope and took out the DVDs. She stood up from the bed and walked over to her laptop on her desk carrying the discs. She sat down in the chair, and inserted a disc.

Kanako turned her head away as the video started playing, not wanting to see that filthy man pawing Yumi a second time. She turned back when she heard the brunette say rhetorically, "What the hell game is that little shit up to?" Yumi stopped the video, and turned to Kanako. "You knew what was on these discs?"

Kanako nodded nervously. "I-I didn't mean to pry into y-your privacy, but since it was addressed to Sachiko-sama, I thought you might want to know about it."

"Thank you for bringing it to my attention, Kanako-chan," Yumi replied.

"B-But why would Yumi-sama do such a thing," the younger girl blurted out the question foremost in her mind.

"Because it was necessary," Yumi responded in a flat tone, grabbing Kanako's attention. "I know how you feel about me," the brunette continued in a gentler tone. "I'm not so cold that I wouldn't realize that, but there is too much history between us for me to cross the line between friends and lovers. You're a great girl, and I'm glad to be your friend. That's all we will ever be."

Yumi paused and licked her lips, while she let the younger girl process what was just said. "The last time we spoke, you told me I still had love left inside me. I didn't realize it at the time, but I've met someone. Her name is Mitsuki, and I love her dearly," the older girl said with a gleam in her eye. "When I'm with her, I feel like I can find myself again. Forget the pain of the last five years, and be happy once more. But Mitsuki is in trouble." The brunette went on to tell Kanako all about Sachiko's infertility, Mitsuki's kidnapping, and her plan to have Suguru's child and negotiate Mitsuki's freedom. "I thought Arisu was on my side in this, but apparently he has other plans. I need someone I can trust. Do you think you could help me out."

Kanako took a moment before responding. She was a little upset by Yumi's second rejection, but she realized and accepted the fact that the two of them would only remain friends. But when the brunette talked about Mitsuki, the younger girl did in fact catch a glimpse of the 'old' Yumi peeking through. The Yumi that was unburdened by pain and sadness. That made Kanako very happy, and she would do her best to help the older girl out. "You can count on me," she finally answered.

Just then Yumi's mother came in with a tray of tea and cookies, smiling. She put the tray on a low table in the corner of her daughter's room, and left saying, "Enjoy the snack."

Yumi poured tea for both her and Kanako, then placed a couple cookies on the younger girl's saucer, and passed it over. "Do you have time," Yumi asked. "I could really use somebody to run a couple errands for me."

"I'd be happy to, Yumi-sama" the black haired girl replied.

"That's good. Just sit and enjoy your tea" the brunette stated, before taking the picture of her and Sachiko's first meeting from her desk and heading across the hall to her mother's office and returning with a photocopy of the picture, and a new envelope. She sat st her laptop and started the first DVD ripping.

While the copy was going on, Yumi took the photocopied picture, and scribbled something on it. She folded it up and placed it in the envelope. By this time the first disc was done, and the brunette swapped discs. She took out a piece of stationary, and a matching envelope and wrote a second note keeping it separate from the package she working on. The second disc finished and Yumi took both and added them to the package.

Yumi sealed the big envelope and readdressed it to Sachiko. She picked up both envelopes and gave them to the younger girl. "Go ahead and take the big one to Sachiko at her office," she directed. "However I need you to deliver the other one first. You need to give it personally to Sae-chan, at the fertility clinic, and tell her to sneak it to Mitsuki. Got it." Kanako nodded in understanding. "Thank you Kanako-chan. Your a real friend."

Kanako stood up to leave. Just as she was walking out of the bedroom, Yumi called out. "Make sure you ask for a time stamped receipt, so you can show Arisu you really delivered the package." The younger girl turned and left the house, thanking Miki for the hospitality.

Once Kanako left, Yumi took out her phone and made a call. "Takeshima Photography," a woman's voice answered, Tsutako speaking. How may I help you."

"Tsutako-san," the brunette said into the phone. "It's Yumi."

"Yumi," the woman on the other end of the phone said excitedly. "It's been a long time. What have you been up to?"

"Working overseas," Yumi said, giving her standard answer. "I was wondering. Are you still doing the paparazzi gig."

"I'm actually a freelance photographer for the entertainment industry," Tsutako replied, sounding a little put out.

"So that's what you're calling it these days," the brown eyed girl responded teasingly. "Do you think you could do me a favor? It will probably be of benefit to you also."

"What's the pitch," the photographer inquired.

"What would you do if I told you where to find the up and coming next president of the Ogasawara Group, on a date with his 'side dish?'"

"I'd be there in a heartbeat," Tsutako replied. "But how would you know this?"

"I'm the 'side dish'," Yumi stated. "I'll give you the inside scoop, but I need you to find me a good writer. Is Minako-sama still working for that gossip rag, 'The Tattler?'"

"Yes," the other girl replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I need her to write the article to go with the pictures," the brunette responded. "She has that juicy bite we need for the story. I'll give her all the juicy details. Do we have a deal."

"It sounds like a good deal all around," the young photographer commented. "You get what you want. I get some money in my pocket, and Minako gets a scoop. I'm in."

"Great," Yumi said mischievously. "Now here's our itinerary ..."

XxX

Kanako walked up to the reception window at the fertility clinic, where she lost herself in the wide eyes and fresh face of the girl sitting there. She didn't catch was the girl said as she walked up, she was so entranced. "Excuse me?"

"I said, 'Can I help you?'"

"Oh yeah," the girl with long black hair answered. "I have a message to give to Sae-chan."

"I am she," the wide eyed girl responded.

Kanako passed the girl Yumi's letter. "Yumi-sama wanted you to sneak this to Mitsuki."

"I will do that," Sae-chan affirmed, smiling. "What's your name?"

"Hosokawa Kanako."

"Well Kanako," the girl continued. "If you leave me your phone number, I'll call you when it's delivered, and maybe we can go out sometime?"

"I'd like that," the girl with long hair said, returning the smile, and gave the receptionist her number.

XxX

Nanako walked through the door into Sachiko's office carrying the package she just received from a tall dark haired woman. The young office worker was acting as the heiress' assistant while her friend Mitsuki was out on a leave of absence due to family matters. It must have been serious, because when she stopped by to check, her friends parents apartment was empty.

"Sachiko-sama," Nanako said. "This package just came for you by courier. It's marked 'IMPORTANT.'" The young girl passed the boss the bulky envelope she was holding.

Sachiko took the package and slit the top open, telling her assistant, "You may go." Inside the envelope was a note and two DVDs. She took out the note and opened it. On the top was a picture of her retying an underclassman's tie in front of the statue of Maria-sama. Below the picture it read: _"It is a petit soeur's duty to stand in for her Onee-sama, when her Onee-sama cannot meet her obligations. I hope I did a good job of it. -Yumi."_

_'Can I not get away from the name, Yumi,'_ Sachiko thought in frustration. _'Why does the name come up so often?'_ She fought down her irritation, took one of the discs out of its case, and popped it in her computer. When the video started she was shocked to see a naked woman straddling her husband on a bed, and the two of them seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. Then Sachiko looked closer at the woman. _'It's HER,'_ she screamed to herself. _ 'That's the woman who has been out to get me. What business does she have with Suguru.'_ Then her paranoia hit a high point. _ 'Is Suguru in on this conspiracy to discredit me also. "It's all in my head", he tells me. "It's just your imagination, Sachiko." Like a fool I believed him. I'll get you Suguru. You and that little bitch.'_

She knew she should just turn the video off, but Sachiko found herself mesmerized by the brunette. The way her pert breasts jiggled. She could almost imagine herself cupping them and feeling the hard nipple against her palm. It was a familiar feeling, but she couldn't remember ever touching a woman in that way. It was maddening. She couldn't turn away from the spectacle in front of her. She felt the area between her legs dampen as the sight of this woman turned her on. The heiress continued watching the video, forgetting all about meeting Mitsuki for their appointment at the fertility clinic.

XxX

As soon as Mitsuki returned to the mansion from her appointment, she rushed to her room and locked herself in the bathroom. Once she was secure, she reached into her pocket, and removed the envelope that Sae-chan handed her during her office visit. She slit the envelope with her finger, removed the letter it contained and read it.

_Dearest Mitsu,_  
_I miss you horribly, and I regret the way we parted. I had planned on telling you everything that evening anyway, but you beat me to the punch. I have a plan to get you out of there, hopefully unscathed. I will not go into any details, in case this letter gets intercepted. I've already done some things that I regret, and will probably do more before this is through. Know that I love you with all my heart, and will do anything to secure your freedom. Please keep in mind, that no matter what you hear, see, or read things are not as they seem. Until we meet again, be strong and keep the faith. I love you._  
_Yumi_

Mitsuki read the letter again, her heart in the clouds. _'She said she still loved me,'_ she said to herself. Just that fact alone lifted her spirits and gave her hope. She was certain that Yumi had forgotten about her, or that the woman didn't care about her anymore. She had been quite concerned when she didn't see Yumi working at the clinic.

She also started to wonder if she could get a message through to her love, using Sae-chan. Letting Yumi know that the heiress was not completely sane, or any other useful information. With her mind thinking of things to tell her girlfriend, she got undressed and took a bath.

Once out of the bath, she secreted the letter between the pages of a book, so it wouldn't be found. She then called for dinner and watched television until she went to bed.

She was shaken awake, a half hour after she fell asleep. "Mitsuki-san," Sachiko said. "Come upstairs with me. You have to see this."

The younger girl rolled out of bed and put on a robe. She followed the heiress up to the attic. It looked much the same as it did when she saw it before, except this time there was a laptop on the floor, playing a movie. As she got closer she saw it was Yumi having sex with a man.

"It certainly looks like she's enjoying it," teased the older woman. "I guess she's not as faithful as you think she is." Sachiko laughed at her own joke, leaving Mitsuki aghast at the scene before her of her lover being intimate with a man. She then realized it wasn't just any man, but the husband of the woman next to her. _'Oh Yumi. How could you hurt me like this,'_ she wailed in her mind.

Sachiko came up behind the younger girl and placed her head on a shoulder, wrapping Mitsuki in a tender hug. "This is making me so HOT," the heiress whispered into the girl's ear. "Just look at Yumi's lewd face as she grinds down." Sachiko then lowered her hand until it was positioned between the younger girl's legs. "My, my," the heiress continued, her fingers feeling the dampness. "I think you are too. How about it Mitsu-chan. What's good for the goose ..." Mitsuki let out a soft moan as the older woman nibbled on her ear, and started pressing gently against the younger girl's sex.

The younger girl started feeling good and began thrusting against Sachiko's hand. _'It's been so long. God, this feel good,'_ she thought as the pressure inside her was building. _ 'I mustn't do this. I can't betray Yumi like this. She has a plan to save me.'_ Just then the younger girl remembered the words in the letter she received earlier. _**"... things are not as they seem."**_ She shoved back against the heiress, breaking Sachiko's hold on her and yelled, "NO!" Mitsuki ran out of the attic and back to her room, locking the door behind her.

* * *

Author's Notes:

To all of you who are still following this story, I send big thanks. I am going to be busy with family this weekend so I probably won't be able to update until the middle to end of next week.


	13. Chapter 13

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 13

Sachiko came back to her office after her meeting, and was greeted by yet another package on her desk. The heiress let out a low growl of frustration. This was the third she'd received over the past three days. Four if one included the DVDs she received at the beginning. She picked up the flat manila envelope and examined it from all sides. Like the others, all it had was her name and the address of her office written on it. There was no post mark, so it was delivered by courier.

She opened it reluctantly. She was a little fearful of what she would find inside. The other two packages, while seemingly harmless had left her feeling out of sorts and highly confused.

The first item she had received days ago was a simple silver rosary. Although it wasn't the one she received from her Onee-sama, then letter passed on to Touko, it was quite similar. The note that accompanied the package read: "I was out shopping and saw this. It reminded me of our sisterly bond. I hope it does the same for you. -Yumi." When she picked it up a jumble of images poured into her mind. The tree that suck with her the mast were:

-Dancing with a young girl, during the Cinderella rehearsals in her second year.  
-sitting in the greenhouse crying on a shoulder.  
-A pair of brown eyes across from hers, as they regarded the silver cross of a rosary, between them

The second item she received was a white handkerchief. It was in her favored style, with a border of embroidered lace with an 'S' stitched on it, but in addition to the 'S,' a pink 'Y' was added above it, as well as a small red rose next to the them. This note read: "I hope you're still using the book cover I knitted you Onee-sama." Again her mind was awash with images.

-She was sitting in a chair, a needle in one hand and the cloth in the other, trying to stay calm as she worked on the delicate stitching. If she made a mistake now, she'd have to order some more handkerchiefs.  
-waiting outside the Rose Mansion on a cold Christmas evening, the handkerchief wrapped and in her purse.  
-Brown, sad, expectant eyes looking at her as she unwrapped a green woolen book cover.

She reached inside this envelope, her third such package. She pulled out a second blank envelope. Clipped to the outside was a black silk ribbon, and another note which read: "This ribbon was missing it's mate. Please keep them both safe." This time the swirling images were clearer and less disjointed.

-Sitting on the floor of the Meeting Room, upstairs of the Rose Mansion. She was holding hands with a girl, and they were both crying, their joined tears dripping on a black silk ribbon wrapped around their hands.  
-The familiar face of her brown haired nemesis, standing behind a podium, hair done up with the black silk ribbons, giving the second year response to the heiress' graduation.

She sat down hard on her leather office chair. He hands were against her temples, and she was shaking her head to shove the images away. The memories directly conflicted what she knew to be true. "No. No. No," she said with each shake of get head. After a minute or two she calmed herself down and placed the ribbon and the note in her bottom desk drawer next to the other 'presents' she received, and stared at the stark, flat envelope that had accompanied the package.

Sachiko slit the envelope open carefully, and pulled out the pages inside. It was a newspaper proof sheet, and the note attached read: "Thought you might like a preview of tomorrow's edition of 'The Tattler.'" The heiress stripped off the note and started reading the article. She was beside herself as she read about her husband's romantic date, having dinner, at a high class French restaurant, with a gorgeous brunette, before painting the town red at various clubs around Tokyo. The pictures accompanying the article left no doubt as to the intimacy of the couple's relationship. In every picture they were somehow touching and gazing at each other like they were the only two people in the world. While the photos of the two dancing together, left nothing to the imagination. The article also alluded to Sachiko's inability to conceive as the impetus to Suguru's 'stepping out.'

"How dare he make a fool of me, like that," the heiress screamed out loud, as she threw the proof sheets on the desk in front of her. "And with THAT WOMAN too. I'll be a laughing stock." She picked up the sheets again to see who was responsible for this article, and wasn't at all surprised by the name she saw. _'Tsukiyama Minako,'_ she thought disgustedly. _ 'I'll make you regret this.'_

Sachiko looked up the number for the paper's main office, then dialed it. When the receptionist answered, she said her name and asked to speak to her old classmate. She was transferred, and in a few seconds she heard the woman answer. "Sachiko-san," the reported said, using the Lillian mode of address. "She told me you'd be calling. I take it this is about tomorrow's article?"

"As a matter of fact, yes it is," the heiress answered, coldly. "I'd like you to pull it."

"I'm sorry I can't," Minako responded. "This is the stuff our readers want to know. You'll turn into a popular tragic figure overnight. Everyone will sympathize with a woman whose husband is cheating on her because she can't get pregnant. I can interview you and run your side of the story next week, if you'd like."

"Like I would want to lend credibility to your lies, gossip, and innuendo," Sachiko bit back. "Kill the piece or I'll sue you for libel, Minako." The heiress threatened.

"Go ahead and try it," the reporter laughed. "You'll be the one who looks like a fool. I have everything documented, and my sources will testify on my behalf. You don't have a leg to stand on, and it will only increase my readership."

The black haired beauty, tried a different tactic. "Well then how about killing it as a favor," she said, trying her best to sound friendly, which only ended up sounding more condescending.

"First you threaten me," Minako stated. "Now you're asking for a favor. You're too much, Sachiko-san. The answer is still no, especially after Yumi-chan told me what you did five years ago."

'This, 'Yumi' again," the heiress thought, frustrated by this mystery woman. "What does she have to do with me," Sachiko asked the reporter.

"Everything," Minako answered, disgusted. "How cold can you be, acting aloof like that, after all the two of you went through."

"What are..." Sachiko started, before the woman on the other end interrupted. "She told me if you called, that she would be at the Secret Garden Cafe after five, if you wanted to meet up. I've got to go. Goodbye Sachiko." The line went dead.

Sachiko hung up her phone and resolved to get to the bottom of this, once and for all. She would be making that meeting.

XxX

Yumi walked into the cafe about four o'clock and sat in a table facing the door to wait. Minako had informed her by phone earlier, that Sachiko had received the message about the meeting. The waitress came over and Yumi ordered a light meal with and iced tea to drink. When her drink came, she sipped it and sat back in her chair, keeping a close eye on the door.

The waitress came back with the brunette's soup and sandwich, and placed it in front of her. Feeling starved, Yumi dug into her meal as soon as the server left, and after she was finished, she had her drink refilled. At five minutes before the hour, the woman she was waiting on walked through the door.

Sachiko stood just inside the door, looking around the cafe for the young woman she was meeting. After a minute her eyes settled on the lithe, brunette in pigtails, sitting off to the side, facing the door. She turned and strode toward the table. When she reached the table, she stood and glowered fiercely down at Yumi in an attempt to intimidate the girl. "You wanted to see me?"

Yumi turned calm brown eyes toward the heiress, and smiled sweetly. "Ah, Sachiko," she said. "How nice to see you again. Please, have a seat."

The black haired woman was disarmed by the brunette's response. _ 'This is not a person to take lightly,'_ the queen of intimidation thought, as her best effort to cow the young woman ended in naught. _'I best be on my guard.' _ She pulled out the other chair and sat down.

Yumi regarded the woman who sat down across from her. The last five years hadn't been kind to Sachiko. Although still very beautiful, the wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, as well as the deeply creased forehead, showed signs of premature aging. _ 'She must be under incredible stress, to look like that after such a short time,'_ the brunette thought forlornly, saddened by the loss of her former lover's impeccable beauty.

"I trust you still like black tea, Onee-sama," Yumi said, deliberately using the same voice she had used during her Lillian years. She examined the older woman for any signs of recognition of that title, trying to verify the truthfulness of Suguru's admission. The violence of Sachiko's response left her shocked.

"You have no right to call me that," the heiress said with a voice full of venom. "You were never my soeur, and I never would have considered somebody as pedestrian as you for that honor. Now if you're not going to tell me why you called me here, I have better things I need to do." Sachiko placed her hands on the table, ready to stand up and storm off.

"Well, at least something hasn't changed about you," Yumi stated calmly. "When you're frustrated, or unsure, you just lash out in hysteria. Go if you want, but remember which one of us ran away."

Above all Sachiko hated to lose, and by the way the the brunette was talking she knew if she left, she would have lost. The heiress took a deep breath and relaxed, moving her hands to her lap. "Perhaps some black tea would be welcome," she responded in an even tone, and signaled for the server.

"That's much better. Isn't it Sachiko-san," Yumi replied with a knowing smirk.

When her tea came Sachiko took a sip and looked Yumi straight in the eyes, and asked, "Just who are you, and what game are you up to?"

Yumi smiled coyly. "My name is Fukuzawa Yumi, and as I told you before, I was your petit soeur, and later on your girlfriend."

Just then the heiress interrupted hotly. "And I told you, we never had such a relationship. I refuse to believe you. This has to be some sort of trick. A sick and twisted one."

"Deny it all you want Sachiko," the brunette continued calmly. "You can look up and verify what I'm saying very easily. But I don't really think you want to. You're too comfortable running away from the hurt and pain you've caused. Because if you realize what you've done, you wouldn't be able to live with yourself."

"You lie," Sachiko stated coldly.

"Deep down, you know what's true," Yumi argued The gifts I've been sending you are precious mementos of the special times we've shared. A rosary, representing the day you made me yours. The handkerchief you embroidered on our second Christmas together, that I later used to wipe my tears after Touko rejected me the first time. The matching ribbon to the one I gave you the night before you graduated. Now you can not tell me they didn't evoke feelings and memories you've long since buried. I saw the recognition on your face when I was talking about them."

The black haired beauty looked down at the table. This brown haired girl told the truth. She did, in fact, relive those memories as Yumi had explained them. But she still wondered, why she did. "Drugs. You must have drugged them, so I would be susceptible to your suggestion," she stated.

"I drugged you," Yumi asked sarcastically, barking a laugh. "You must be out of your mind to be that paranoid. Where was my 'power of suggestion' when you first touched them. Tell me that?"

Sachiko stayed silent. She didn't know how to respond to the girl in front of her. This girl wasn't present when she opened the packages, and was overwhelmed with the glut of memories, and images. And secondly, why did her heart wrench when she looked into the sad brown eyes of this brunette. The heiress was set adrift. She started questioning herself. What was real. Sachiko pushed the uncomfortable feeling away, and looked up at Yumi.

"So, what you're doing is some sort of attempt to save me from myself," the heiress asked in a condescending tone.

The brunette let out a hearty laugh. "Save you," she said chuckling. "I'm not that altruistic. Not anymore. You saw to that five years ago. I want you to suffer. I want you to hurt as much as I did, when everything was taken away from me." Yumi smiled inwardly, at Sachiko's look of confusion. "Or you can just let Mitsuki go. Let me take care of the heir, and you can wallow in your little fantasy world for the rest of your life." The brown eyed girl slid a business card across the table. "It's your choice, now. Give me a call when you decide what you want to do."

Yumi stood up from the table and walked out of the cafe.

XxX

Mitsuki had finished dinner and was laying around in her room at Sachiko's estate, when the door opened and the heiress marched in without knocking. "How long have you known," the black haired woman asked, demanding an answer.

"What are you talking about, Sachiko-sama," the younger girl replied, confused.

"Fukuzawa Yumi," Sachiko screamed. "How long have you been working with her? Were you her 'inside man?' How much of the company's business did you feed to her?"

Mitsuki backed up on the bed, fearing the enraged woman in front of her. "I never worked with Yumi," the former assistant tried explaining. "I met her in a bar, and we went on a couple of dates. I stopped seeing her once I found out she was involved in the Nakamura incident."

"And you neglected to inform me of this when we talked about the investigation. I am disappointed in you, Mitsu-chan," the heiress sighed sadly. "We sponsored your education, gave you a good job, and this is how you repay us, by consorting with a thief and saboteur. Why?"

The young woman knew that her life depended on the next answer she gave the woman with black hair. _'I'm sorry, Yumi, my love,'_ she thought before throwing her friend under the bus. "I was scared to say anything," Mitsuki rambled, feigning tears. "She threatened my family. She said that she would kill my parents, if I said anything. And then I was afraid if I told you about it, you would fire me. I was between a rock and a hard place. I know I should have told you, but I couldn't take the chance for my family's sake."

"Didn't you trust me enough," Sachiko said in a hurt tone. "I would have personally guaranteed you and your family's protection until we took care of the problem."

"I just didn't know where to turn," the younger woman said, wiping her eyes, as she bowed her head. "I'm very sorry, Sachiko-sama. Please forgive me."

The heiress carefully regarded Mitsuki, doubtful of the younger woman's honesty. "If that is so, then tell me why she'd be interested in replacing you as my surrogate. Why would she care what happens to you. Especially after threatening your life, like you say she did? It doesn't make much sense."

"You can't make sense out of nonsense, Sachiko-sama," Mitsuki stated. "She was really upset when I broke things off with her. She seemed so nice when we met, I never would have thought she'd be obsessive."

Sachiko looked the girl in the eyes. "I'm not entirely convinced by your story, Mitsu-chan," she said coldly. "But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I'm going to be looking in to the matter further. If I find out differently, your stay here will not be as pleasant as it has been. Do I make myself clear?"

"As crystal, Sachiko-sama," Mitsuki replied deferentially.

XxX

Yumi sighed as she took her heels off when she walked through the door. Keeping up the appearance of being Suguru's new love interest was taking it's toll on the young brunette. She'd been going out various places with the man for the last few days. Tonight it was the opera. She put on her slippers and entered the house. When she passed the kitchen, she saw her mom sitting at the table having some tea. "You didn't have to wait up for me, Mom," she told the older woman.

"You've been running around so much lately, we've barely had time to talk," Miki replied. "I also want to get your input on the homecoming party, this weekend. There's only tomorrow for me to get things together. Come have some tea, and we'll go over it."

The brunette had been trying to avoid the subject. She was afraid that seeing so many of her old friends at once, would dig up memories best left buried, and with everything going on right now in her life, she didn't have time to wallow in depression. She was about to claim fatigue as an excuse, but her mother's expression told her that it would be a futile action on her part. She sat down at the table and poured a cup of tea from the pot sitting in the center.

"What did you have in mind," Yumi asked her mother.

"It depends on how many people they're going to be," Miki responded. "How about we go over who to invite and go from there." The older woman grabbed the paper and pencil on her side and prepared to make the guest list. "So who should we call?"

Yumi rattled off the names, as her mother wrote them down. The list included: Youko, Sei, Eriko and family, Rei and Yoshino, Shimako, Noriko, and Nana. She also added Touko to the list, but wasn't sure if the younger girl would be able to attend due to her shooting schedule.

"How about that nice girl with black hair that came by the other day," Miki inquired. "Kanako-chan was it?" Yumi nodded, and that name was added to the list. "Looks like we have enough guests for pot luck. I'll ask everyone to bring a dish. If you leave me their phone numbers, I'll call them all tomorrow, and extend the invitation."

Yumi took the list and went to her room to copy the phone numbers onto the guest list. As she was sitting at her desk writing, her cell phone rang. "Fukuzawa here," she said as she answered the call.

"Yumi," a familiar voice questioned from the other end of the connection. "Is that really you?"

"Sachiko," Yumi replied coldly. "Have you called to accept my offer?"

"No, I just wanted to call and say I'm sorry for the way I left you. I've always loved you, and I miss you so much."

"Ah, so this is the 'other' Sachiko speaking," the brunette stated. "The weak one."

"How dare you say that," the heiress argued. "I've been lying in wait, protecting our precious memories together. You don't know how lonely it's been these last five years without you."

"It didn't have to be like that," the younger girl accused. "You could have chosen 'us' over your family, but you didn't. You only have yourself to blame, Sachiko."

"I know I made a horrible choice back then," Sachiko admitted. "And I said such hurtful things to you. I've regretted my decision ever since. I'm sorry. Please forgive me, Yumi. I beg you."

"It's too little, too late," Yumi stated.

"No, it's not too late for us Yumi," the heiress wailed. "Come back and stay with me. You can have the baby, and we'll raise it together. We'll be a family. Just like we've always wanted. I'll even let Mitsuki go, if you agree."

"I'd do almost anything for Mitsuki, except that," Yumi responded. "I still have my pride. I can't believe I never realized until now how self centered you are. It's all about you, never anyone else. Even our breakup was for your benefit. You hurt me deeply when you made your decision five years ago. Accept it, and move on. I finally have, after such a long time. Why don't you think about someone else for a change. Let Mitsuki go. Show me how you've grown."

"If I did that, would you be able to forgive me," Sachiko asked.

"I really can't give you an answer on that," the brunette replied. "But, I would be very grateful if you did the right thing."

"I'll have to think about it," the heiress stated. "There is the 'other' me to consider."

"When you decide, let me know," Yumi said, hanging up the phone.

* * *

Authors Notes:

* * *

Sorry about the late update. I really have no other excuse except that I was lazy and didn't feel like doing much the past few weeks. Maybe this is what they call the 'Midwinter Doldrums.' Again I apologize.

Thanks for reading.


	14. Chapter 14

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 14

Yumi boarded the bus that would take her downtown to meet up with Arisu at the office to update him on what happened during her meeting with Sachiko on the previous day. As the bus started driving away the brunette started to feel a little uncomfortable. It seemed that most of the women on the bus were staring at her and whispering to each other.

The bus made a stop and a dowdy middle aged home maker boarded the bus. She sat in the empty seat next to Yumi. The older woman glanced over at the brunette again, and her mouth made an 'O' in recognition. She then turned and faced the younger girl and gave Yumi a stern glance. "Home wrecker," the woman spat. "Have you no shame. Messing around with a married man like that. It's indecent."

Before Yumi had a chance to defend herself, an office lady in her twenties spoke up. "Shut your mouth, old woman," she said with sarcasm. "If you had a chance at a handsome man with money, you'd leave your boring, salary-man of a husband in a minute. So don't get onto a girl trying to better herself."

The older woman opened her mouth to reply and shut it immediately as another young woman came over and joined with her friend. "You go girl," the newcomer said, giving Yumi a friendly grin. The brunette smiled and nodded thanks to the two office ladies who came to her aid.

When the bus arrived downtown, the brunette got off and started walking to the offices of Kintarou Software. She stopped off at a drug store on the way, and bought a half dozen pregnancy tests. Her monthly friend should have visited today, and since she didn't feel any signs of it coming, Yumi had high hopes and planned accordingly. She also dropped another envelope off at a courier service to be delivered to Sachiko After her detour she headed off to see Arisu.

XxX

The blonde executive was sitting at his desk re-watching the videos of Suguru and Yumi. He couldn't get enough of them. Not so much for the acts they depicted, but more for the eye candy that took the form of the handsome young man. He was viewing his favorite part. The beginning of the first video, where Yumi's head was bobbing up and down between the young man's legs. In fact, he had zoomed in and enhanced that area, in order to get a better view of Suguru's equipment.

After all that had happened, Arisu never imagined he would have been attracted to THAT man. But here he was watching the video, and feeling jealous of the brunette that had sampled that which he lusted after. He tried to imagine what that long hard tool would feel like sliding up and down his throat and other parts of his body. That thought alone would cause him to get aroused and frustrated. Arisu was just thinking about making a pass at Suguru the next time they met for breakfast when he heard the door to his office open and someone enter.

Red faced he quickly shut down the video. "How many times must I tell you to knock before entering," he said, irritated at the interruption. He looked up and saw Yumi approaching his desk.

The woman entering couldn't help but notice Arisu's nervous embarrassment. "I'm sorry," the brunette responded. "I didn't think we had anything to hide from each other. What are you being so secretive about?"

"N-nothing," the blond executive stammered. "So how did things go with Sachiko yesterday," he continued, changing the subject.

"Well, I think the article hit home," Yumi replied. "You should have seen the look on her face when she first saw me. She still has that fierce glare, but she didn't show any recognition of me. So Suguru wasn't lying when he said she's not all there."

"I'm glad to hear the plan is going well," Arisu stated.

"Yes and I think the videos you sent over helped too," Yumi told the young man. "Although, I wish you had told me about the hidden camera. I would have given a better show, had I known."

"How did you find out about the videos," the executive asked. "Nobody except me knew about the camera."

"Sachiko mentioned them to me yesterday," Yumi lied, protecting Kanako and her actions. "She seemed so jealous. It was wonderful. And the tabloid article was just the frosting on the cake."

Yumi went on to give the young man a play by play rendition of her meeting with heiress. She did neglect to tell him about her phone conversation with the 'other' Sachiko. She didn't want Arisu to have too much information that he could use to undermine her ultimate goal of freeing Mitsuki.

"What do you think the chances are of her accepting your offer," the young man asked.

"Slim to none, I think," the brunette answered. "I just hope we didn't push her too far, that she would do something rash. She can be unpredictable you know."

XxX

The phone on her desk rang as Sachiko was immersed in financial reports. The black haired woman picked it up. "Hello."

"Ojousama, this is Tanaka,"a mans voice responded through the phone. "We found that Kagami woman. She's working for a bio-tech firm in California. What would you like us to do?"

The heiress thought for a second before replying. "Approach her, and tell her we need more information from her, about the sabotage. Bring her to me, and don't take no for an answer. Tell her we'll pay her for her time. I want to see her tomorrow. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Ojousama," the man named Tanaka said confidently. "I will make it so."

Just as she hung up the phone, there was a knock on her office door. "Come in," Sachiko called out.

"Sachiko-sama, a package was just delivered for you," Nanako said as she entered the office carrying a manila envelope. She held it out in front of her, and waited for her black haired boss to take the proffered envelope.

_'I wonder what she sent me this time,'_ the heiress thought with trepidation, as she gingerly took the envelope from her assistant, as if it were a poisonous snake. "Thank you, Nanako," Sachiko told her subordinate. "That will be all."

Nanako bowed to her boss respectfully, turned, and left the office, closing the door behind her.

Once Nanako had left Sachiko placed the thin package on her desk. She examined it. From the outside it looked harmless, just like the others she had received that week. Her fear came from not knowing what images and feelings the contents would invoke inside her. She carefully picked the envelope up and slit it open with the letter opener she took from her desk drawer.

The heiress turned the envelope upside down to let what was inside fall to the desktop. A picture slid out of the envelope, and landed face down on the desk. The date written on the back of the photo, was in February, about nine years ago. The black haired woman thought back, and couldn't remember anything special that happened during that time, so she slowly turned over the picture.

The picture was taken at Lillian. She was standing in front of the statue of Maria-sama. There were two girls standing in front of her, facing each other. The figure to the right of the picture was her cousin, Touko. She had her head bowed and was about to receive a rosary from the girl on the left. The girl on the left was none other than that woman, Yumi.

_'Touko is my petit soeur,'_ the black haired woman thought angrily. _ 'How dare that woman take her from me. This has got to be some sort of trick.'_ But as she thought that, Sachiko felt a slightly warm feeling deep inside her as she looked upon the tender moment depicted in the photograph. Then her anger returned full force without warning. "I'll get you for this, Fukuzawa Yumi," the heiress declared to the empty office.

The black haired executive fished around her purse for her cell phone, taking it out once it was found. She scrolled through her contacts for a number she hadn't used in over five years. She dialed it hoping it was still an active number. "Matsudaira here," a woman's voice answered, cheerfully.

"Touko-chan, do you have a minute to talk," Sachiko asked over the phone.

"What do you want, Sachiko," the younger girl's voice replied in a cold and clipped manner.

The heiress' heart fell when she didn't hear the familiar 'Sachiko, Onee-sama,' Touko used to address her as. "I was just wondering how my petit soeur was doing. We haven't spoken in ages."

"Don't try and pull me into your delusions, cousin. You know very well Yumi, was my Onee-sama, and always will be. Don't look at me to feed into it like Suguru does. I will never forgive you for what you did to her five years ago. So don't come crying to me now that the fragile house of cards you've created for yourself is starting to cave in. I'm surprised it's lasted this long."

"How much is that bitch paying you to play this part, Touko," Sachiko responded hysterically , incensed by the out and out lie she was being told. "You know very well, I gave you my rosary at the beginning of my senior year at Lillian. Why are you betraying me like this."

"What I am saying is the truth, Sachiko," Touko argued. "I'd be betraying Yumi, my real Onee-sama, if I said any different. You really need to get yourself some professional help. Until you do, please don't call me anymore."

"Touko-chan, why are you treating me like this," Sachiko begged as the connection went dead. She screamed in frustration, and slammed the cell phone on her desk, causing the battery to fly across the room.

XxX

Yumi got off the elevator and followed the written directions which brought her to Youko's offices. She gave her name to the receptionist and took a seat on the comfortable leather couch in the waiting area. Minute later a woman with short black hair came out and greeted the brunette with a huge smile.

"Yumi-chan," she exclaimed. "Come give me a hug. It's been ages."

The younger girl got up and embraced the woman two years her senior. "It's nice to see you too, Youko-sama. You're looking well."

"Thank you, Yumi-chan." the older woman replied. "You look like your doing good for yourself also. Have you seen anyone else yet?"

"Not yet," the brunette answered. "My Mom's holding a 'Welcome Home' party for me tomorrow. I hope you can show up. She'll be calling with the specifics later."

"I'd be happy to," Youko said smiling. "But that's not why you're here. Why don't we go to my office, and you can tell me what you need me to do." The older woman led Yumi down a hallway and into her office. She offered the brunette a seat, then went to sit behind her desk. "Suguru, told me a little about what's going on. How can I help you?"

"I'm going to need you to negotiate a contract with the Ogasawara's once I conceive Suguru's child," Yumi started to explain. "You're the only one I can trust to look after the best interests of me and the child."

"Okay, Yumi-chan. Why don't you tell me everything you want to receive. Then we'll go over each item and rank them by importance." The older woman took out some paper and started listing out the conditions, as Yumi spoke them aloud.

After about an hour of discussion, the two women walked out of the young attorney's office. "Thank you for all your help, Youko-sama," the brunette said before they parted. "Just let me know what the bill is, and I'll take care of it."

"Don't worry about the cost, Yumi-chan," Youko replied. "It was worth it just to see you."

"Don't forget to come to the party, tomorrow," the younger girl reminded her senior.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," the older woman responded, before they parted.

XxX

Mitsuki walked through the door of the Fertility Clinic, held open by a silent man in a dark suit. She signed in with reception, took a sear in the waiting area, and searched for something to read to pass the time until she was called. Her eyes went wide with shock when she saw the picture on the front page of this week's edition of 'The Tattler.' The photograph showed Yumi and Suguru dancing in a club. The pair was so close together that it looked like the two were trying to meld into one another.

The sight reminded the woman of the time when she and Yumi went out with Nanako and Mariko. She had danced with the brunette in the same erotic manner. Jealousy flared inside Mitsuki, as she thought of her precious love, behaving that way with someone besides her.

Her mind switched gears as she remembered the video Sachiko had shown her of those two having sex. _'Yumi sure looked like she was enjoying herself,'_ the woman thought, picturing the scene in her mind. She didn't know what to believe any more. It was different when she thought that Yumi's indiscretion was to help free her from the situation she was in. It was quite another thing when she found out that her girlfriend seemed to be in a deep relationship with the husband of her captor. Mitsuki read through the article becoming more jealous with every paragraph that described the blossoming relationship between the two love birds. She took the tabloid with her, when she was called in for her appointment.

When she entered the examination room, she didn't even meet the eyes of the beaming Sae-chan. _ 'Did she do you too,'_ Mitsuki thought as she regarded the younger girl out of the corner of her eye. The assistant tried to engage the patient in conversation, but gave up quickly when all she received were curt, cold answers to her inquiries. After what seemed like the longest exam in her life, Mitsuki left the clinic and accompanied her guard back to Sachiko's estate.

XxX

Later that night, Sachiko came down from her attic shrine, and went to the guest room where the younger girl was staying. She entered the room and looked at the sleeping woman. Mitsuki was curled up in a ball, fully dressed, with a tabloid magazine laying in the bed next to her.

As Sachiko reached over the woman to grab the book, she caught sight of the sleeping girl's face. The heiress' heart went out to Mitsuki when she saw the faint stains of tear tracks marring the younger girls face. _'What got you so upset, dear,'_ the black haired beauty thought compassionately. She then looked at the picture on the magazine's cover, and realized why the young girl cried herself to sleep.

"You poor dear," Sachiko sighed quietly, brushing Mitsuki's hair from the woman's face. "She is hurting us both with this game of hers." The heiress stood watching the sleeping girl for a few more minutes, before turning around, walking to the closet, and getting another blanket to cover Mitsuki.

Mitsuki shifted and straightened out in her sleep, while Sachiko covered her. As the younger girl snuggled under the covers, the heiress heard her say in her sleep, "Just hold me, please."

After hearing the plaintive request, the black haired beauty started to feel sorry for Mitsuki. '_She never asked for this,'_ she thought. _'If it wasn't for 'The Other', she'd be so much more happy.' _ Feeling lonely and in need of comfort herrself, Sachiko lifted the blanket, settled herself under it, and wrapped her arm around the still sleeping girl. Feeling the warmth from the body next to her, Mitsuki scooted herself back, until she and Sachiko were touching, back to front.

* * *

Author's Notes:

A short little set of scenes to set up more of what's to come.

I am sorry again for the extended gap in my postings …. Life has been hectic around here, and I have been putting more time into work, as well as getting things ready for the family vacation. Speaking of which, my next post will be a little later also, since I am headed out into the Caribbean, on a cruise. I'm bringing my tablet with me, so I will be able to write, however I will not be buying internet access on the ship. So if I do have some free time I will be writing more for this story. Until then, thanks for reading and take care of yourselves.


	15. Chapter 15

(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

A Woman Scorned - Chapter 15

Half asleep, Mitsuki sighed, relishing the warmth radiating from the body lying behind her. _ 'Ahhh, Yumi,'_ she thought smiling in her slumber. Her hand moved, intertwining her fingers with the long, slender ones attached to the hand and arm that was wrapped around her waist. She felt herself being pulled tighter against the body behind her. She drifted back off feeling the comforting heat of the breath blowing on her neck.

Feeling the warm body enclosed in her arms, Sachiko felt relaxed and safe. She slept a dreamless sleep, unhindered by worrisome thoughts of profits or other business concerns a young executive often has lurking in the back of their minds. She pulled the warmth nearer when she felt another hand encase hers. A memory drifted far away from her, just out of reach, but she didn't pay it much mind, too caught up in the moment. She let out a little snore as she fell deeper into sleepy land.

An hour later the first sunlight of the day filtered through the windows and tickled Mitsuki's eyes. She stifled a yawn and turned in bed to face the woman behind her. She opened her eyes expecting to see Yumi's soft round features, instead she was greeted by the harsh angular features which belonged to Sachiko.

Once she was fully alert, the young woman took stock of her situation. She was laying under a blanket, still fully clothed, with the heiress' arm wrapped around her. _ 'What should I do,'_ she thought worriedly. _'If she wakes up now, I'm done for.' _ Ever so slowly, Mitsuki extricated herself from the older woman's embrace, hoping the sleeping princess wouldn't awaken.

Finally, she was free. The younger woman sat on the edge of the bed and breathed a sigh of relief. _'That was close.'_ She then stood up, walked across the room, and locked herself in the bathroom to think. She replayed the previous evening in her mind. The last thing she remembered was reading that awful tabloid, and getting depressed over the article about Yumi and Suguru. She must have cried herself to sleep. _ 'I guess 'Attic' Sachiko must have been lonely, came looking for me, and decided to take a nap. It must be lonely having only pictures and knick knacks to keep you company,'_ she thought sadly, understanding a little of what the heiress must be going through based on the situation she was going through at this moment.

The lack of warmth against her body caused Sachiko to shiver. She opened her eyes and looked at the window. _'This isn't my room,'_ she said to herself. '_The sun usually comes in from over there.'_ She sat up quickly, and looked around, confused. _ 'Where am I?'_

It took a minute for the heiress' mind to wake up and get into gear. _'What am I doing in Mitsuki's room. How did I get here,'_ she asked herself. _ 'The last thing I remember, I got ready and went to bed in my room. What the hell ...'_

Just then, Mitsuki came out of the bathroom. Sachiko turned quickly to face the younger woman. "What did you do to me," the black haired beauty accused. "How did you bring me here?"

"I don't know how you got here, Sachiko-sama," the former assistant replied. "I fell asleep early, and when I woke up you were in bed with me. What are you trying to pull?"

Mitsuki's blatant denial took Sachiko off guard. "Are you trying to insinuate something, Mitsu-chan," the heiress said venomously. "Please speak plainly, so I can understand what I am being accused of."

"I think you know what I am talking about," the younger girl bit back. "Why else would you come sneaking into someone's room and get in bed with them. I'm just surprised I woke up fully dressed."

The black haired heiress blushed, not knowing the reason behind her embarrassment. She didn't know how to deal with the conflicting emotions buried deep inside her heart. Part of her enjoyed the feel of a soft warm body next to hers, however the other part denied that fact. Sachiko lashed out in response to the uncomfortable situation, strode up to Mitsuki, and slapped the younger girl across the face, causing her to drop to the ground under the force of the blow. "How dare you suggest something sick like that," she screamed as she stood above the fallen girl.

Mitsuki didn't even try to get up and fight back. She just sat there looking fearfully up at the other woman glaring angrily down at her. She didn't know what trouble she'd be in, if she did. Sachiko held all the cards, and controlled her life at this moment, so she bit her tongue and stayed meek.

Sachiko nodded her head, as if she'd made her point, turned around and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. The younger girl waited a couple of minutes, before she got her feet underneath her and stood up. _ 'What have I gotten myself into now,'_ she thought as she made her way to sit on the bed.

XxX

"Yumi dear. Wake up you have a phone call," Miki Fukuzawa said as she gently shook her daughter awake.

"Tell them I'll call them back later," the brunette mumbled, yawning, before she rolled over and snuggled back under her blanket.

"Yumi, you are going to get up and answer the phone," the older woman said more forcefully, pulling the cover off the petite sleeping girl.

Yumi groaned and sat on the edge of the bed, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. "Fine," she said petulantly. "It better be important."

"Don't give me that attitude, young lady," Yumi's mother said sternly. "It's not my fault, you've been coming home late the past few nights." The older woman passed the cordless phone in her hand to the young woman.

Yumi took the phone from her mother and brought it to her ear. "This is Yumi," she said politely into the phone.

"I'm sorry for calling so early in the morning, Yumi-chan," the recognizable voice of an older woman apologized.

"Sayako-obasama," the brunette said, surprised, sitting up straighter in the bed. "It's nice hearing from you."

"I hope this isn't a bad time for you," the older woman replied. "But I'd like to talk to you over breakfast if I may? We need to talk about my daughter."

Yumi didn't really want to talk about Sachiko, but Sayako had always been nice to her and supported her's and the heiress' relationship. Even after they broke up, the older woman sent Yumi a long letter apologizing for her daughter's behavior and very sympathetic to her feelings. The brunette just couldn't find it in her heart to refuse the older woman's request. "OK," Yumi replied. "I can be ready in a half an hour. Where would you like to meet?"

"I don't want to put you out, Yumi-chan," the older woman stated. "I'll send a car to pick you up, in say, twenty minutes?"

The brunette agreed before hanging up the phone. She picked out a nice outfit and put it on the bed. She was about to head to the bathroom and her eyes fell upon the drug store bag containing the pregnancy tests she purchased the previous day, which she hadn't used out of nervousness.

She was still afraid, but she knew she had to find out eventually, so she grabbed one of the boxes from the bag, opened it and read the directions. She took the test with her to the bathroom. _'Ten minutes,'_ she thought as she returned to her bedroom, placed the test on her desk, and proceeded to dress for her breakfast with Sayako.

The display on the test was blank when she looked at it after she finished dressing. Yumi frowned at it for a minute, thinking she must have messed up the directions. But as she watched a 'plus' sign faded into being on the display. A wave of relief washed over her. She was happy. She was another step closer to her goal.

Her happiness, however, was tinged with a shadow of fear. She was now in uncharted territory. _'Will I be a good mother,'_ she thought nervously, as she rubbed her stomach. _ 'Can I do what's right for the child inside me? Can I do what's right for me and Mitsuki? What's my next step?'_

_'I have to make a doctor's appointment to confirm that I'm actually pregnant,'_ she noted to herself. _ 'But this is definitely a good sign.' _ She took one last look at the test before gathering her purse, and heading downstairs to wait for Sayako's car to arrive.

The black sedan picked Yumi up and brought her to the Ogasawara Mansion, not the smaller one where Sachiko lived, but the main residence. Yumi was very familiar with this place as he was a regular visitor during her high school years, before her and Sachiko started living together. As she entered the foyer and took off her shoes, a sense of nostalgia came over the brunette. She smiled fondly remembering the special times she and Sachiko shared.

Sayako hustled into the entry way to greet the young girl instead of the butler that stood on duty. The older woman was beaming as she approached the younger girl. "Yumi-chan, it's been so long," the matronly woman said. "Look at you, you're all grown up."

"Pardon the intrusion, Sayako obaa-sama." Yumi intoned as she walked over to the smiling lady and gave the woman a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. "You're looking good yourself. Have things been going well?"

"Business is going well as always," Sayako replied, though the smile left her eyes. "But we're here to have a friendly breakfast. Shall we go to the dining room?"

"Certainly," the brunette responded, and followed the older woman down the halls to the dining room, where the big table was set for two. Sayako sat at the place set at the head of the table, and Yumi took the place that was set to the older woman's right. A maid approached and poured the two women coffee. Once she was settled, the brunette addressed Sayako, "I take it not everything is alright?"

The older woman sighed, and took a sip of her coffee. "You've always been a perceptive child, Yumi-chan. Business is good, but with what is going on with Sachiko, our family is self destructing. Tooru doesn't want to deal with the problem, so he spends most of his time working, or 'catting' around with one or another of his ladies. I'm just worried sick, so I don't go anywhere anymore. Suguru has moved out. It all started falling apart after Sachiko left you."

"I can't take responsibility for other people's choices," Yumi said, defending herself. "And none of that was my doing."

"I'm not blaming you, Yumi-chan," Sayako said in an apologetic tone. "I know it's not your fault my daughter stupidly tossed away the best thing in her life. I also have my suspicions that her decision was a factor in your brothers untimely parting. But what I am trying to say is, your presence in our lives and it's effects on Sachiko, helped knit our family together. We were happier then." The older woman stopped speaking when the serving maid brought over a pair of covered plates, and placed one in front of each of the ladies at the table. She uncovered them to reveal Eggs Benedict. Once Sayako took a bite and signaled her satisfaction, the maid left the two woman to eat and converse.

Yumi looked the older woman in the eye. "You're not expecting me to get back together with Sachiko, so you can have your happy family back again. Are you?"

"Heaven for-fend," Sayako said putting her hand on her chest, going on the defensive. "I would never even think such a thing. Our family problems go way deeper than that, and I also believe we brought them on ourselves. It's just after the wedding, Sachiko has been having memory issues. It seems she's forgotten about you, and I thought if you two met and talked, she'd come back to her old self. I'm sure of it."

The brunette swallowed the food in her mouth before responding. "I hate to burst your bubble. Sachiko and I have already sat and talked. At the end, she still denied my existence in her life."

Sayako frowned and let her head drop. "I see," she said sadly. "Perhaps Sachiko is looking for some sort of resolution to the matter. Have you considered trying to forgive her?"

"Are you serious," the brunette asked sarcastically. "After all I've been through because of her, you expect me to just pretend it didn't happen. And now its affecting others. You expect me to let it go. I'm sorry I can't. If Sachiko wants my forgiveness let her ask for it." Yumi stood up from the table and continued her tirade. "Thank you for breakfast. Don't worry, I can make my own way home."

Just as the brunette turned to leave, Sayako sighed and in a disappointed voice, said, "I guess your body isn't the only thing that grew. The old Yumi would have understood."

Yumi strode toward the door, stopped, and looked over her shoulder at the older woman. "That Yumi died five years ago, along with my brother." She stormed off without waiting for a response.

XxX

Since it was Sunday, the black-haired heiress decided to get some work done from her home office. Although she tried her best to summarize the many status reports in front of her into a single report she needed for the upcoming directors meeting, she wasn't able to keep her mind on task. Instead, her thoughts kept being drawn back to this morning's events. At this point, she had given up trying to figure out how she ended up in Mitsuki's bed, and was coming to terms with the conflicting feelings she had waking up next to the younger girl.

Her musings were interrupted by a knock on the door. The butler opened it at her bidding, and said from the doorway, "Tanaka-san is at the door, he has a woman accompanying him. Should I bring them to the salon, Ojousama?"

The heiress nodded. "Tell them I'll be down presently, and have the kitchen prepare tea and cakes for our guests. Also, have someone ask Mitsuki to join us. Thank you."

The man shut the door behind him, as he left to take care of his Mistresses' orders. Sachiko looked at herself in the full length mirror, and dissatisfied with what she was wearing, changed into a casual skirt and blouse. She fixed her hair and make up before leaving the room and heading out to greet her guests.

"Yes," Mitsuki answered after hearing the light rapping on her bedroom door. She put down the article on Yumi she was torturing herself with for the umpteenth time, and wiped her wet eyes.

"Excuse me, Mitsuki-sama," the young maid said timidly, after she entered the room. "The Mistress requests you join her for tea in the front salon."

_'What the hell is she up to,'_ the young girl thought, wary of the sudden invitation. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the servant. "Could you make my excuses to Sachiko-sama, I don't feel up to tea right now."

"But, you must come, Mitsuki-sama," the young maid said fearfully. "The Mistress expects you. She will be very angry if you don't show."

Mitsuki felt sorry for the terrified girl, and reluctantly agreed. "Tell her I'll be down in a few minutes, after I get ready."

"Thank you, Mitsuki-sama," the young maid replied as she left, with relief evident in her voice.

Mitsuki headed to the bathroom to wash up and make herself presentable, then headed downstairs to the salon. When she walked into the room, she saw Sachiko sitting in a plush leather chair across from another woman, on the sofa, who was glaring at the heiress. There was a tray of tea and cakes on the coffee table between the two.

"Ah Mitsuki," the black haired heiress said, looking up and smiling at the new arrival. "I'm glad you decided to join us. May I introduce you to Kagami Ritsuko, one of the leading bio-tech engineers in the world. Ritsuko-san, this is Kanabara Mitsuki, my personal assistant. I believe you two have a common friend." Sachiko took out a picture and handed it across the table to Ritsuko. Mitsuki took a seat on the end of the sofa, next to the engineer.

The engineer took the offered picture and looked at it. "Ume-chan," she whispered, turning white and holding the picture with trembling hands.

"Her real name is Fukuzawa Yumi," the heiress stated. "And I also believe she was the culprit behind the loss of your work, as well as the disaster at Nakamura."

Ritsuko's eyes widened in surprise, hearing Sachiko's accusation. "You knew about her all this time?"

"No," Sachiko replied. "She just came to my attention recently, when Mitsuki here ran into her. I'm more curious about one thing. If you knew then that she was responsible, why did you try to protect her by leaving Nakamura. Were you some sort of accomplice?"

"It was nothing like that," the engineer stated, then sighed. "I just didn't want to see her hurt. I loved her. And I think, deep down, I still do."

"She didn't get violent, or threaten you in any way?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "No," she responded. "Ume wasn't like that at all. She was cute, and funny, although I could tell she was deeply hurt by something in her past. She was the best girlfriend anyone could ask for: Kind and caring, silently supportive, affectionate. I don't think she had a mean bone in her body. I'd take her back in a minute, if I could."

Mitsuki sat next to the engineer, getting more jealous as she heard Ritsuko's description of the relationship she had with Yumi. She felt slighted that she never experienced those things with the brown haired woman she had feelings for. _'Why Yumi? Why her'_ she asked herself in agony. The annoyance must have shown on her face, because Sachiko turned to her and asked, "Is something the matter, Mitsuki?"

"It's just a little indigestion," she replied. "If you'll excuse me." She got up and left the room quickly, before her tears of anguish could leak out.

After Mitsuki left, Sachiko apologized to the woman across from her. "I'm sorry about Mitsuki. It seems she fell under Yumi's spell also. It's so hard to find out that somebody is not who you expect them to be. Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us. I'll make sure you're properly compensated for your time. I'll have Tanaka-san drive you back to the airport, and make sure you get back to the States." She extended her hand to the other woman.

Ritsuko stood up and took the offered hand giving it a firm shake. "If I may," she asked. "What will you do to Ume, when you catch up to her?"

"I haven't decided yet," the heiress replied, escorting the other woman out of the room to a waiting Tanaka. "I hope you have a pleasant trip home." After the pair left, Sachiko's went in search of Mitsuki. She found the younger woman in one the guest bathroom near the salon.

Mitsuki was leaning against the wall, weeping. She quickly wiped her eyes when she heard the opening door, and looked at the black haired woman in the doorway. "How can you be so cruel?"

"I wasn't trying to be cruel, Mitsu-chan," Sachiko explained. "I was doing you a favor, showing you just what kind of person this Fukuzawa is. She's a player. She'll use anyone or anything, in order to achieve her twisted goals. She never loved Ritsuko, or you for that matter. You were both just a means to an end."

The heiress' words brought forth another torrent of tears from the younger girl. The sight caused Sachiko's heart to go out to the other woman, and she unconsciously approached Mitsuki and wrapped comforting arms around the girl. _ 'Why am I feeling sorry for her,'_ she thought as she drew Mitsuki close. "There, there. Isn't it better you know the truth? I'm sure there's someone out there who will love you for you, rather than who you work for." Mitsuki didn't reply. The younger girl just held tightly onto the older woman, and wept into Sachiko's breast. A weird sense of deja vu tickled at the edges of Sachiko's mind as she stood there holding Mitsuki tightly.

* * *

Author's Notes: I think I am finally out of vacation mode and back to regular time over Caribbean Time. I've had this chapter done for a few days now, just needing to edit it, but I have been extremely lazy, and got myself sucked into K-ON and Love Live-School Idol Project. By the way I loved both. I've also started another writing project (non FF). I've just been really distracted, so I am not sure how long it will take for another update.. Please be patient... I have never abandoned a story here and I have no intentions of quitting this one.

Thanks for reading...


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